
First Alert is owned by Newell Brands, a publicly traded American consumer goods company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and listed on NASDAQ under ticker NWL. Founded in 1958, the brand is the leading US name in smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers, holding the top retail position in the home safety category. It sits inside Newell's home fragrance and safety segment.
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| First Alert | Newell Brands Inc. | Wholly owned |
First Alert traces to 1958, when the Burke-Roberts-Kimberly company developed one of the first battery-powered smoke detectors for residential use. The brand name First Alert was introduced for the company's consumer smoke alarm line and became the dominant name in American home fire safety.
The brand pioneered the residential smoke alarm category, introducing the first battery-powered detector to the consumer market and helping drive the adoption of smoke alarms as a standard home safety requirement. Through the 1970s and 1980s, First Alert expanded into carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and home security products, building the broadest retail home safety line in the US.
BRK Brands, the corporate entity behind First Alert, passed through a series of owners before landing at Newell through its acquisition program. Under Newell, First Alert remains the retail category leader, its smoke and CO detectors stocked in home centers, hardware stores, and mass retailers nationwide. The brand has expanded into smart home safety products with Wi-Fi-connected detectors and app-integrated alerts.
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 First Alertoperates in a unique market segment or we're still building our competitor database.
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