🇮🇪 Foreign ownership of Irish brands
55.8% of the 52 Irish brands with a controlling owner (29) are owned by a company headquartered outside Ireland, most often in the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. That ranks 3 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 14 | 48.3% | |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | Irish brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Diageo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 4 |
| Amber Beverage Group | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 2 |
| Greenergy | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2 |
| Nordzucker | 🇩🇪 Germany | 2 |
| Associated British Foods | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1 |
| Centrica | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1 |
| CNP Assurances | 🇫🇷 France | 1 |
| Colian | 🇵🇱 Poland | 1 |
| ComfortDelGro | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 1 |
| Fiskars Group | 🇫🇮 Finland | 1 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 Irish brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverages | 12 | 9 | 75% |
| Food | 7 | 5 | 71.4% |
| Finance & insurance | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| Energy | 8 | 4 | 50% |
| Travel & transport | 13 | 2 | 15.4% |
Examples
- 123.ie owned by Intact
- Aer Lingus owned by IAG
- Amber Oil owned by Greenergy
- Baileys owned by Diageo
- Bord Gáis Energy owned by Centrica
- CNP Santander Insurance owned by CNP Assurances
- Carolans Irish Cream owned by Heaven Hill
- Goodfella's owned by Nomad Foods
- Guinness owned by Diageo
- Guinness 0.0 owned by Diageo
- Inver owned by Greenergy
- Irish Citylink owned by ComfortDelGro
How this is computed
Of 54 Irish brands recorded, 52 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 2 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 Ireland country page.