🇮🇹 Foreign ownership of Italian brands
33.5% of the 242 Italian brands with a controlling owner (81) are owned by a company headquartered outside Italy, most often in France, Germany and the Netherlands. That ranks 14 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | 14 | 17.3% | |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 11 | 13.6% | |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 9 | 11.1% | |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 7 | 8.6% | |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 6 | 7.4% | |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 🇸🇲 San Marino | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 🇨🇳 China | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 2 | 2.5% |
The remaining 10 owner countries are not shown.
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | Italian brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Kering | 🇫🇷 France | 5 |
| Colombini Group | 🇸🇲 San Marino | 4 |
| Deoleo | 🇪🇸 Spain | 3 |
| Ebro Foods | 🇪🇸 Spain | 3 |
| Katjes International | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3 |
| LVMH | 🇫🇷 France | 3 |
| Melitta | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3 |
| Stellantis | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 3 |
| Campari Group | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2 |
| HomeToGo | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 2 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 Italian brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverages | 12 | 8 | 66.7% |
| Home care | 14 | 7 | 50% |
| Automotive | 12 | 5 | 41.7% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 18 | 7 | 38.9% |
| Food | 58 | 21 | 36.2% |
| Apparel, footwear & accessories | 46 | 16 | 34.8% |
| Travel & transport | 30 | 7 | 23.3% |
| Finance & insurance | 10 | 2 | 20% |
Examples
- Acquaviva owned by Vandemoortele
- Agriturismo.it owned by HomeToGo
- Air Dolomiti owned by Lufthansa Group
- Alfa Romeo owned by Stellantis
- Alpenliebe owned by Perfetti Van Melle
- Aperol owned by Campari Group
- BNL owned by BNP Paribas
- BRT owned by Geopost
- Balconi owned by Valeo Foods
- Ballarini owned by ZWILLING
- Bertagni owned by Ebro Foods
- Birra Moretti owned by Heineken
How this is computed
Of 250 Italian brands recorded, 242 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 8 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 Italy country page.