🇩🇪 Foreign ownership of German brands
35.7% of the 283 German brands with a controlling owner (101) are owned by a company headquartered outside Germany, most often in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. That ranks 13 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 19 | 18.8% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 10 | 9.9% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 9 | 8.9% | |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 8 | 7.9% | |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 8 | 7.9% | |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 7 | 6.9% | |
| 🇨🇳 China | 6 | 5.9% | |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 5 | 5% | |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 4 | 4% | |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 4 | 4% | |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 3 | 3% | |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 3 | 3% |
The remaining 9 owner countries are not shown.
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | German brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| HomeToGo | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 8 |
| H World | 🇨🇳 China | 5 |
| Arçelik | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 3 |
| Groupe SEB | 🇫🇷 France | 3 |
| Hero Group | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 3 |
| Princes Group | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3 |
| Thai Union | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 3 |
| AB InBev | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 2 |
| AGROFERT | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 2 |
| Coca-Cola | 🇺🇸 United States | 2 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 German brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet & digital | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| Home care | 29 | 17 | 58.6% |
| Energy | 9 | 5 | 55.6% |
| Beverages | 15 | 6 | 40% |
| Apparel, footwear & accessories | 13 | 5 | 38.5% |
| Personal care & beauty | 27 | 10 | 37% |
| Food | 55 | 19 | 34.5% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 18 | 6 | 33.3% |
Examples
- 3 Glocken owned by Princes Group
- 50Hertz owned by Elia Group
- A. Lange & Söhne owned by Richemont
- ADS-TEC Energy owned by ADS-TEC Energy
- AEG owned by Electrolux
- AIDA Cruises owned by Carnival
- Abraham owned by Bell Food Group
- Aptamil owned by Danone
- Aral owned by bp
- BENTEC owned by Helmerich & Payne
- Bauknecht owned by Arçelik
- Beck's owned by AB InBev
How this is computed
Of 297 German brands recorded, 283 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 14 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 Germany country page.