🇬🇧 Foreign ownership of British brands
45.3% of the 696 British brands with a controlling owner (315) are owned by a company headquartered outside the United Kingdom, most often in the United States, Japan and Germany. That ranks 5 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 94 | 29.8% | |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 22 | 7% | |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 19 | 6% | |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 18 | 5.7% | |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 17 | 5.4% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 15 | 4.8% | |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 12 | 3.8% | |
| 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 11 | 3.5% | |
| 🇮🇳 India | 11 | 3.5% | |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 10 | 3.2% | |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 9 | 2.9% | |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 9 | 2.9% |
The remaining 26 owner countries are not shown.
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | British brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Mars | 🇺🇸 United States | 14 |
| Saputo | 🇨🇦 Canada | 6 |
| Lotus Bakeries | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 5 |
| Nestlé | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 5 |
| The Magnum Ice Cream Company | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 5 |
| Valeo Foods | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 5 |
| Wacoal | 🇯🇵 Japan | 5 |
| C&C Group | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 4 |
| Emperador | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 4 |
| Glen Dimplex | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 4 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 British brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pet & animal care | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| Automotive | 11 | 10 | 90.9% |
| Internet & digital | 25 | 21 | 84% |
| Food | 109 | 75 | 68.8% |
| Healthcare & pharma | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| Retail | 11 | 7 | 63.6% |
| Home care | 24 | 15 | 62.5% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 47 | 22 | 46.8% |
Examples
- A.1. owned by Kraft Heinz
- Aegon UK owned by Aegon
- Aero owned by Nestlé
- Ageas Insurance owned by ageas
- Ageas Retail owned by ageas
- Air Partner owned by Wheels Up
- Alexander McQueen owned by Kering
- Alphabet owned by BMW Group
- Altoids owned by Mars
- Andrex owned by Kimberly-Clark
- Anime Limited owned by TOHO
- Antares owned by Qatar Insurance Company
How this is computed
Of 714 British brands recorded, 696 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 18 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 United Kingdom country page.