🇿🇦 Foreign ownership of South African brands
6.3% of the 207 South African brands with a controlling owner (13) are owned by a company headquartered outside South Africa, most often in France, the United States and Belgium. That ranks 68 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | 5 | 38.5% | |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 🇨🇳 China | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 🇮🇳 India | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 1 | 7.7% |
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | South African brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Canal+ | 🇫🇷 France | 5 |
| AB InBev | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 1 |
| Arçelik | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 1 |
| Automattic | 🇺🇸 United States | 1 |
| Coca-Cola | 🇺🇸 United States | 1 |
| GIC Re | 🇮🇳 India | 1 |
| Haier | 🇨🇳 China | 1 |
| Procter & Gamble | 🇺🇸 United States | 1 |
| Unilever | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 South African brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media & entertainment | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| Beverages | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| Personal care & beauty | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Finance & insurance | 26 | 1 | 3.8% |
| Retail | 50 | 0 | 0% |
| Food | 28 | 0 | 0% |
| Restaurants & foodservice | 17 | 0 | 0% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 15 | 0 | 0% |
Examples
- Appletiser owned by Coca-Cola
- Castle Lager owned by AB InBev
- DStv owned by Canal+
- Defy owned by Arçelik
- GIC Re South Africa owned by GIC Re
- GOtv owned by Canal+
- Impulse owned by Unilever
- Kwikot owned by Haier
- M-Net owned by Canal+
- Olay owned by Procter & Gamble
- Showmax owned by Canal+
- SuperSport owned by Canal+
How this is computed
Of 211 South African brands recorded, 207 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 South Africa country page.