Who Owns Better Homes & Gardens?

Better Homes & Gardens began as a magazine founded in 1922 by Edwin Meredith in Des Moines, Iowa. Meredith, who had previously served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1920-1921) under President Woodrow Wilson, established the publication to serve the growing interest in home improvement and gardening following World War I. Originally titled "Fruit, Garden and Home," the magazine was renamed "Better Homes & Gardens" in 1924 to better reflect its expanding content scope and aspirational positioning. Within its first decade, circulation reached over 1 million subscribers, establishing it as a cornerstone of American domestic life and a trusted source for practical advice on homemaking, gardening, and cooking.

Throughout the 20th century, Better Homes & Gardens evolved alongside American domestic culture. The 1950s saw the magazine flourish during the post-war housing boom, with circulation exceeding 6 million by 1960. The brand expanded into cookbooks, with the iconic red-and-white checked Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book first published in 1930 and becoming one of America's best-selling cookbooks with over 40 million copies sold across its 17 editions. The magazine continually adapted to changing lifestyles, addressing topics from Victory Gardens during World War II to dual-career households in the 1980s and sustainable living practices in the 2000s.

The brand's expansion into physical consumer products began in earnest in 2004 when Meredith Corporation established a landmark licensing agreement with Walmart for a line of home goods. The initial collection included approximately 200 items across bedding, bath, decorative accessories, and gardening products. This strategic partnership allowed Walmart to elevate its home goods offerings with the trusted Better Homes & Gardens name while providing Meredith with a significant new revenue stream beyond traditional publishing. By 2006, the line had expanded to over 500 products and became one of Walmart's fastest-growing private label collections.

Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, the Better Homes & Gardens product line at Walmart expanded dramatically in both scope and sophistication. By 2015, the collection included over 3,000 items spanning furniture, home decor, kitchenware, bedding, bath, storage solutions, and outdoor living products. The brand became known for offering stylish, affordable home products with aesthetic appeal beyond typical mass-market offerings. Particularly successful categories included outdoor furniture, lighting fixtures, and decorative accessories, with several collections winning industry design awards.

A significant corporate change occurred in December 2021 when IAC acquired Meredith Corporation for $2.7 billion, merging it with its Dotdash digital publishing unit to form Dotdash Meredith. This acquisition transferred ownership of the Better Homes & Gardens brand to the newly formed company, with IAC (NASDAQ: IAC) becoming the ultimate parent company. The Dotdash Meredith merger integrated Meredith's iconic print brands with Dotdash's digital publishing expertise, creating one of America's largest publishers while maintaining the valuable licensing relationships established under Meredith.

In April 2024, Dotdash Meredith and Walmart announced a five-year extension of their licensing agreement through 2029, significantly expanding the product range to include new categories like smart home technology, sustainable materials, and organization solutions. The renewed partnership introduced enhanced digital integration, with Better Homes & Gardens editorial content directly linked to product pages through QR codes and augmented reality features allowing customers to visualize products in their homes before purchase. By early 2026, the Better Homes & Gardens collection at Walmart had grown to over 5,000 products generating approximately $3.9 billion in annual retail sales, making it one of the most successful licensed home goods brands in the retail market.