Concentration over time
Among the 17 categories whose ownership links are best dated, brand concentration rose in 3 and fell in 14 between each category's first plottable year and 2025. This is the dated record only, not the whole market.
Read this first
Only about 29% of ownership links on Brandtree carry a start date. This page uses only dated links and leaves out every undated one; an undated link is never treated as if it began in any particular year. A brand therefore appears in a year only if its owner's start date is recorded and falls on or before that year, so the number of brands in each series grows over time, partly because ownership was recorded for newer links and not only because the market changed. The series shows where the dated record is complete, not the whole market. A rise or fall can come from brands entering the dated record as much as from real consolidation. Counts are of brands, not revenue.
How this is computed
- Which categories. For each category on the concentration index we take the brands under a controlling owner today and the share whose current ownership link has a start date. Categories at or above 40% qualify. Too few categories reach 60% (the best of 372 reaches 62.5%), so the bar was lowered to 40%. A category also needs at least three plottable years.
- Each point. The state at 31 December of 1990, 1995 and so on to 2025. A brand counts if a controlling, verified or reported link with a start date was in force on that date (its end date, if any, is after it). Brands are grouped by the ultimate parent on that date. Company-to-company links are mostly undated and are treated as in force, because the alternative would drop nearly every chain.
- Plotted only when there is enough. A year is shown only with at least 5 dated brands and 2 owners; otherwise the cell shows a dash.
- Sparklines. Each line is scaled to its own range, so compare the printed values, not the heights across rows. Gaps are left where a year is not plottable.
Categories, best-dated first
| Category | Dated today | HHI 1990–2025 | HHI first → last | Top-3 share | Top 3 first → last | Dated brands first → last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor & workwear · Apparel, footwear & accessories | 60.9% 28 of 46 | 3,333 → 918 2005–2025 | 83.3% → 42.9% | 6 → 28 | ||
| Cookware & tableware · Home, garden & DIY | 58.3% 21 of 36 | 3,086 → 3,152 2010–2025 | 88.9% → 85.7% | 9 → 21 | ||
| Eyewear · Apparel, footwear & accessories | 56% 14 of 25 | 5,200 → 2,755 2000–2025 | 100% → 85.7% | 5 → 14 | ||
| Baby meals & snacks · Food | 55% 11 of 20 | 4,400 → 2,200 2010–2025 | 100% → 60% | 5 → 10 | ||
| Film studios · Media & entertainment | 52.6% 10 of 19 | 2,800 → 2,000 2015–2025 | 80% → 70% | 5 → 10 | ||
| Sportswear & footwear · Apparel, footwear & accessories | 47.2% 42 of 89 | 2,593 → 635 2005–2025 | 66.7% → 33.3% | 9 → 42 | ||
| Burger & chicken chains · Restaurants & foodservice | 45.9% 17 of 37 | 4,400 → 1,419 2005–2025 | 100% → 52.9% | 5 → 17 | ||
| Underwear & intimates · Apparel, footwear & accessories | 45.5% 20 of 44 | 2,778 → 3,100 2015–2025 | 83.3% → 85% | 6 → 20 | ||
| Quick-service restaurants · Restaurants & foodservice | 44.8% 30 of 67 | 4,400 → 1,133 1990–2025 | 100% → 46.7% | 5 → 30 | ||
| Champagne & sparkling wine · Beverages | 44.1% 15 of 34 | 5,062 → 3,956 2000–2025 | 100% → 80% | 9 → 15 | ||
| Ice cream · Food | 43.1% 31 of 72 | 1,837 → 2,533 1995–2025 | 57.1% → 66.7% | 7 → 30 | ||
| Cosmetics & fragrance · Personal care & beauty | 42.5% 31 of 73 | 2,778 → 1,400 1995–2025 | 83.3% → 56.7% | 6 → 30 | ||
| Fragrance · Personal care & beauty | 42.1% 8 of 19 | 4,400 → 4,286 2015–2025 | 100% → 100% | 5 → 7 | ||
| Luxury cars · Automotive | 42.1% 8 of 19 | 2,800 → 1,875 2005–2025 | 80% → 62.5% | 5 → 8 | ||
| Makeup · Personal care & beauty | 41.9% 18 of 43 | 3,600 → 1,543 1995–2025 | 100% → 61.1% | 5 → 18 | ||
| Frozen food · Food | 41.5% 51 of 123 | 1,429 → 1,145 1990–2025 | 42.9% → 44.9% | 7 → 49 | ||
| Body care & lotions · Personal care & beauty | 41.4% 12 of 29 | 1,667 → 1,111 2010–2025 | 50% → 41.7% | 6 → 12 |
Data as of 2026-10-16. See also the concentration index and Brandtree in numbers.