🇦🇺 Foreign ownership of Australian brands
24.8% of the 278 Australian brands with a controlling owner (69) are owned by a company headquartered outside Australia, most often in the United States, Japan and New Zealand. That ranks 29 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 15 | 21.7% | |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 10 | 14.5% | |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 8 | 11.6% | |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 7 | 10.1% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 🇨🇳 China | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1 | 1.4% |
The remaining 3 owner countries are not shown.
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | Australian brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| TFG | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 6 |
| Fletcher Building | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 4 |
| Gildan | 🇨🇦 Canada | 4 |
| Clarus | 🇺🇸 United States | 3 |
| Imperial Brands | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3 |
| Asahi Group | 🇯🇵 Japan | 2 |
| Freightways | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 2 |
| Lactalis | 🇫🇷 France | 2 |
| Minor International | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 2 |
| Peabody | 🇺🇸 United States | 2 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 Australian brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 9 | 6 | 66.7% |
| Apparel, footwear & accessories | 16 | 8 | 50% |
| Food | 23 | 10 | 43.5% |
| Beverages | 12 | 5 | 41.7% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 35 | 12 | 34.3% |
| Travel & transport | 40 | 8 | 20% |
| Personal care & beauty | 18 | 3 | 16.7% |
| Energy | 26 | 4 | 15.4% |
Examples
- AIA Australia owned by AIA
- ANL owned by CMA CGM
- AXL+CO by Connor owned by TFG
- Adbri owned by CRH
- Aesop owned by L'Oréal
- Afterpay owned by Block
- Allied Express owned by Freightways
- Apex Car Rentals owned by Avis Budget
- Barossa Valley Estate owned by Delegat
- Bellamy's Organic owned by Mengniu
- Berlei (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) owned by Gildan
- Bonds owned by Gildan
How this is computed
Of 282 Australian brands recorded, 278 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 4 are licensed, part-owned or lack a current owner and are left out. A brand is foreign-owned when that ultimate parent is headquartered in a different country from the brand's origin. Data as of . Method and ranking for all countries.
Coverage caveat. The brands tracked skew towards those held by large filing companies, so this overstates foreign ownership relative to every brand in the country. See also the Australia country page.