From Starbucks to Apple, many of the biggest companies in the world started in the United States. Before these businesses became leaders in their own fields, they had been small ventures. The world of business is never as straightforward as it might seem, however. A company might have been founded on US soil, but this does not mean that it will forever be based there. In fact, you will be surprised to hear that these brands have since ceased to be American. From IBM to Ben and Jerry’s to Holiday Inn, foreign investors have a big role in the future of these companies! If they had not swooped in at the right time, many of these businesses might no longer even be around.
General Electric
In 1982, General Electric got its start as a pretty small brand. It has since grown at an exponential rate, however. It now dabbles in many other industries from healthcare to aviation to venture capital to power. This is one of those brands that feel very homegrown, partly thanks to the “Made in America” stamp on the products. But the truth is that it has been owned by a Chinese company called Haier ever since 2016. GE was purchased for $5.4 billion, which is definitely on the high end of things. Even though the products continue to be made in the United States, the decisions are ultimately made in China.
AMC
For about an entire century, AMC cinemas have been giving movie lovers relaxing and fun moviegoing experiences. This company made a name for itself in this industry and even went on to be the biggest movie theatre chain on the planet. Even though the initials stand for American Multi-Cinema, the truth is that a Chinese company called Dalian Wanda Group had been the majority stakeholder from 2012 to 2018. In 2018, however, this changed a bit after Silver Lake Partners bought a $600 million stake in it. Despite this, Wanda Group is still the one who gets to call the shots in terms of executive-level decisions.
Budweiser
In terms of beers, there are folks who assume that it does not get any more American than this. It might have been true in the past, but the truth is that this is no longer an American company even though it was founded in Missouri and continues to say “America” on the container. In 2008, this company was bought by a Belgium beer powerhouse called InBev for $52 billion. It might have an American past, but we can’t exactly say the same thing about its future. At any rate, we are just glad that the parent company did not change the formula. It tastes exactly the same as it used to!
Ben & Jerry’s
This ice cream company has become a pop-culture staple over the years. As one of the most beloved food in the United States, Ben & Jerry’s has been mentioned countless times in TV shows and movies. In 1978, a pair of best friends called Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen founded it as an ice cream parlor in Vermont. Things changed in 2000 when Unilever purchased it for a cool $326 million. The London-based conglomerate was the highest bidder among three companies interested in taking over the ice cream company. This turned out to be a great deal since this decision helped improve Unilever’s portfolio.
Burger King
A lot of people think of the United States when they think of fast food. There are a lot of homegrown chains out there, and Burger King is one of them. David Egerton and James McLamore opened the first store under the name “Insta Burger King” in Miami in 1954. They had no idea that it was going to turn into an international brand. They sold the company for the first time a decade after that. It has since gone through a number of different owners. At the moment, it is owned by a Canadian company called Restaurant Brands International. BK still gets financial backing from 3G Capital from New York City.
Trader Joe’s
There has always been fierce competition when it comes to the convenience store sector. This is even truer in more populated spaces. In 1967, a man called Joe Coulombe began to stock food items that were unusual and rare to entice customers to ditch 7-Eleven and instead go to his store in Monrovia, California. His plan worked. Even though it went on to a big name, he sold the company in 1979. It is now owned by Theo Albrecht, who also owns a huge supermarket chain called Aldi Nord in Germany. He comes from a wealthy family and is believed to have a net worth of more than $16 billion! Whoa.
Lucky Strike
It feels like Lucky Strike, also known as Luckies, is the most popular American cigarette brand out there. In the ‘30s and ‘40s, people smoked the product because it had such a strong marketing plan. This was the reason the brand became the best-selling cigarette brand back then. In 1976, the company started its business relationship with a company called British American Tobacco. In 1994, the UK company purchased the American Tobacco Company and its subsidiaries, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. Even though it has gone through a number of changes, it is still considered to be a quintessentially American brand. This can be attributed to its presence in pop culture. The brand was heavily featured in Mad Men!
American Apparel
Folks could not help but be drawn to American Apparel thanks in part to its “Made in USA – Sweatshop-free” slogan. It was a great idea to make ethical shoppers support the LA brand. The company had been doing very well until 2015, at which point it started to struggle to get back on track. Two years after that, a Canadian company called Gildan Activewear saved it by buying rights to its name and manufacturing equipment for $88 million. If this did not happen, we doubt that American Apparel would still be around in this day and age. If you want to be literal about it, the brand is still technically based in the Americas.
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