Who Brands Blog

When a private equity firm buys a consumer brand or a conglomerate acquires a rival, do prices go up? The relationship between brand ownership and retail pricing is more complex than it appears.

Stonyfield, Kashi, and Honest Tea all built their identities on independence and values. All three are now owned by large multinationals. Here is why this pattern repeats across categories.

Finding genuinely independent brands requires more than reading labels. Here is a practical, sourced guide to identifying and supporting brands that are not owned by large multinationals.

Your values-driven purchase may be funding a company whose practices conflict with those values. Here is what ethical consumers need to know about who really owns the brands they buy.

When a brand is acquired, does the product get better, worse, or stay the same? The evidence from hundreds of acquisitions shows it depends heavily on the acquirer's strategy and the category.

Research shows most consumers are unaware of brand ownership. But when they find out, it changes behaviour in measurable ways. Here is what the evidence says about ownership and purchasing decisions.

Innocent Drinks was acquired by Coca-Cola. Cadbury is now Mondelez. Vegemite moved from Kraft to Bega Cheese. Local and regional brands are routinely acquired by global corporations while their local identity is preserved.

Store brands now represent over 20% of US grocery sales. Many are made in the same factories as the name brands they sit next to. Here is what the evidence says about quality, ingredients, and who makes what.

Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox. Honest Tea was owned by Coca-Cola. Annie's is owned by General Mills. Most organic and natural brands are now subsidiaries of major corporations. Here is what that actually means.

The United States and France dominate global brand ownership by value. But Germany, Japan, and South Korea own more brands by count. Here is a data-led map of brand ownership by country.

South Korea's chaebols, Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK, and Lotte, control brands spanning smartphones, cars, appliances, chemicals, and food. Here is the complete ownership map of Korea's corporate giants.

Geely owns Volvo, Lotus, and a stake in Mercedes-Benz. Lenovo owns IBM's PC division. Fosun owns Club Med and Thomas Cook. Here is the full map of Chinese ownership of Western brand names.