
Elmer's is owned by Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL), a publicly traded American consumer goods company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Newell acquired Elmer's through its $15 billion merger with Jarden Corporation in 2016. Elmer's is part of Newell's Learning & Development segment alongside Sharpie, Paper Mate, and Expo. Newell generated approximately $7.5 billion in net sales in 2025.
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Elmer's | Newell Brands Inc. | Wholly owned |
Elmer's was introduced in 1947 by Borden Chemical Company, a subsidiary of the Borden dairy conglomerate. The brand was named after Elmer, the husband of Elsie the Cow, Borden's famous corporate mascot. Elmer's white glue was originally marketed as a casin-based adhesive for woodworking and household repairs, but the product found its largest market in schools, where teachers and parents needed a safe, non-toxic adhesive for children.
The iconic orange cap and squeeze bottle design became a classroom staple in the 1960s and 1970s. Elmer's expanded beyond white glue into glue sticks, rubber cement, spray adhesives, and craft glues. The brand introduced Elmer's Glue-All, a stronger all-purpose formulation, and Elmer's School Glue, a washable formula designed specifically for classroom use. By the 1980s, Elmer's had become the dominant school glue brand in the United States, with market share exceeding 50 percent.
In 1995, Borden Chemical was sold to the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). KKR later sold Borden Chemical's consumer products division, including Elmer's, to Jarden Corporation in 2010 for approximately $150 million. Jarden already owned a portfolio of consumer brands including Ball mason jars, Sunbeam, and Coleman.
In 2016, Newell Rubbermaid merged with Jarden Corporation in a deal valued at approximately $15 billion. The combined company, renamed Newell Brands, became one of the largest consumer goods companies in the United States. Elmer's became part of Newell's Learning & Development segment, which also included writing instrument brands like Sharpie and Paper Mate.
Under Newell's ownership, Elmer's has continued to expand its product range. The brand introduced Elmer's Foam Board, Elmer's Craft Bond, and Elmer's Disappearing Purple School Glue, which goes on purple and dries clear to help children see where they have applied glue. Elmer's has also developed slime glue products, capitalizing on the slime-making trend that became popular on social media platforms in the late 2010s.
What does Newell Brands own?
Newell Brands owns more than 20 major consumer brands including Sharpie (permanent markers), Rubbermaid (storage and organization), Graco (baby products), Coleman (outdoor and camping), Yankee Candle (scented candles), Calphalon (cookware), Crock-Pot (slow cookers), Paper Mate (writing instruments), NUK (baby feeding), and Contigo (insulated drinkware). The company sells products in more than 100 countries across writing, home organization, appliances, baby products, outdoor recreation, and home fragrance categories.
Is Newell Brands publicly traded?
Yes, Newell Brands Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol NWL. The company has been publicly traded for decades. Shares are owned primarily by institutional investors including index fund managers. The company has no controlling shareholder.
Who founded Newell Brands?
Newell Brands traces its origins to Edgar Newell, who founded the Newell Manufacturing Company in Ogdensburg, New York in 1903. The modern Newell Brands was formed through the 2016 merger of Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden Corporation. Jarden was itself led by Martin Franklin prior to the merger. Christopher Peterson serves as President and CEO as of 2025.
Where is Newell Brands headquartered?
Newell Brands is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The company moved its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia after the 2016 Jarden merger. Manufacturing and distribution operations span the United States, Mexico, China, Germany, and Australia, among other locations.
How many brands does Newell Brands own?
Newell Brands owns more than 20 major consumer brands. The company previously owned over 50 brands following the 2016 Jarden merger but divested more than 35 brands and businesses between 2018 and 2021 as part of a portfolio rationalization program. Current core brands include Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Graco, Coleman, Yankee Candle, Calphalon, NUK, Contigo, and First Alert, among others.
Who owns Newell Brands?
Newell Brands is a publicly traded company with no controlling shareholder. The largest shareholders are institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Global Advisors, which hold shares primarily through passive index funds. Individual shareholders and smaller institutional investors hold the remainder. Newell Brands has no parent company and is not owned by a private equity firm.
What is Newell Brands' revenue?
Net sales for FY2024 were approximately $7.7 billion, down from approximately $8.4 billion in FY2023. Revenue has declined from a peak of approximately $9.4 billion in FY2018, the year following the Jarden merger, as the company divested non-core brands and faced headwinds in several categories. The company's Ovation restructuring plan, launched in 2024, is intended to stabilize margins and return the business to organic growth.
Has Newell Brands faced any major controversies?
Newell Brands faced significant activist investor pressure in 2018 from Carl Icahn and Starboard Value, who criticized post-merger integration management and board governance. The company also disclosed material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting related to income tax accounting in 2022, which were subsequently remediated. No single product recall or regulatory action has been identified as material to the company's overall operations in recent annual filings.
No direct competitors found in the same category. This could be because Elmer'soperates in a unique market segment or we're still building our competitor database.
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