Ownership Changes

Some of the changes below were discovered in time for the Feb 2008 printing of 'The Guide To Ethical Supermarket Shopping', some weren't. All updates below are now reflected in our online database.
See this page for a list of changes discovered after printing. Visit this page to update your print guide page by page.

Please send any comments or updates to info@ethical.org.au.

2008

Cadbury Schweppes plc demerger
On May 7, Cadbury Scweppes plc split into 2 companies, UK based confectionery makers Cadbury plc, and American soft drink company Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.
Australia is now the only country where Cadbury maintains a drinks operation. [source]

Mars Inc. buys Wrigley's
Mars, backed by billionaire Warren Buffett, has agreed to buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for $US23 billion to create the world's biggest candy maker. [source]

Goodman Fielder buys Paradise Food
The largest Australian-owned biscuit manufacturer, Paradise Food Industries also make the entire Dick Smith range of biscuits. Paradise was bought by Australia's largest food company, Goodman Fielder, for about $80 million in Mar 2008. [source]

George Weston Foods buys KR Castlemaine
British owned George Weston Foods Ltd bought 100 year old Castlemaine smallgoods company KR Castlemaine [source]

2007

Kraft Foods no longer owned by Altria (Philip Morris)
Kraft Foods was spun off from parent company Altria in March 2007, and is now an independent publicly held company. The Altria Group and subsidiaries had been subject to an international Boycott from 1993 due to another of their subsidiaries being Philip Morris, the largest tobacco company in the world.[source]

Wesfarmers buys Coles Group
Wesfarmers acquired Coles Group Ltd for $22 billion in November 2007.
Wesfarmers now owns Coles, Bi-Lo, Bunnings, Officeworks, Target, Kmart, liquor retailers (1st Choice Liquor Superstore, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars), fuel & convenience outlets (Coles Express), online stores (Coles Online, Pharmacy Direct). Plus other divisions in the areas of coal mining, energy, insurance, chemicals &fertilisers, and industrial & safety products. [source]

Kirin buys National Foods/Berri from San Miguel
Australia's largest dairy company, National Foods, operates in the milk, dairy foods and juice production industries. It was taken over by San Miguel, Phillipino beer giant in 2005, and sold to the Japanese food and drinks giant Kirin Holdings for $2.8 billion in 2007. Kirin owns 46% of Australia's 2nd largest brewer, Lion Nathan. [source]

Danone buys Royal Numico
Groupe Danone (France) bought baby formula makers, Royal Numico (the Netherlands) for US$16.8bn in 2007 [source]

Freedom Nutritional Products buys Norganic
In February 2007, shareholders approved the change of name from So Natural Foods Australia Ltd to Freedom Nutritional Products Ltd. The Perich Group (NSW's biggest dairy farmer) own 78% of the company. They acquired Norganic Foods in Oct 2007, Brunswick Seafoods in 2005, and Paramount Seafoods and Freedom Foods in 2003. [source]

2006

Nestle Australia buys Uncle Tobys
Food group Burns Philp and Company Ltd sold snack food business Uncle Tobys to Nestle Australia Ltd for $890 million.

Johnson & Johnson buys Pfizer healthcare division
Pfizer divested its Consumer Health Division to Johnson & Johnson for $22 billion in late 2006. Brands include Listerine, Sudafed, and Benadryl. [source]

L'Oreal buys The Body Shop
In a controversial move, Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, sold the business to french cosmetics giant, L'Oreal, in March 2006. A boycott has since been called on The Body Shop.[source]

Goodman Fielder buys three bread brands
Goodman Fielder bought Hawlee Nominees, makers of bread brands Country Life Bakery, Flinders and Early Harvest [source]

Manassen Foods
In April 2006, CHAMP together with existing Manassen Foods Australia shareholders created a new company, Food Holdings Pty Ltd which acquired Manassen Foods Australia, Great Southern Foods, King Oscar and Hutchinsons New Zealand. The combined entities which will continue to trade as Manassen Foods were merged to form Australia’s leading specialty branded food supplier with over 350 employees and revenues in excess of A$250 million. Private equity company CHAMP owns 51%. [source]

2005

Procter & Gamble buys Gillette for US$57 billion
Deal creates world’s largest consumer-products company

Reckitt Benckiser plc acquired Boots Healthcare International
Upon completion of the sale Boots Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd changed its name to Reckitt Benckiser (Australia) Pty Ltd. [source]

Smith's Snackfood buys Sakata Rice Snacks Australia
The Smith's Snackfood Company (owned by Pepsico) bought Sakata Rice Snacks Australia. Under the deal, Smith's has also acquired rights to manufacture, distribute and market Sakata products worldwide, apart from Japan. [source]

Fonterra buys all of Bonlac, and consolidates Australian businesses
Bonlac Foods becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Fonterra (previously Fonterra owned 50%). Fonterra's three separate brands businesses - formerly known as Bonland, PB Foods and Murrumbidgee Dairy Products (MDP) - were brought under the same name, Fonterra Brands Australia, in 2005. [source]

Goodman Fielder refloated on Australian Stock Exchange

Metcash becomes Australian Owned
[source]

Unilever sells John West Foods to Simplot
Ally, John West & Seakist brands of canned fish are now owned by Simplot Australia [source]

Unilever sells Miracle to Peerless
Unilever sold retail brands of Miracle, Copha, Fairy and Kremelta to Australian owned company Peerless Holdings. In addition, Unilever brands such as Flora, Flora Proactiv, Olivio, Bertolli, and Becel are now manufactured by Peerless for Unilever under a long-term supply contract.[source]

2004

SCA buys Carter Holt Harvey out of Sancella joint venture
In May 2004, SCA acquired Carter Holt Harvey's (CHH) tissue business and the remaining 50% of the SCA/CCH joint venture, Sancella. These companies now operate as SCA Hygiene Australasia. Brands include, Sorbent, Tork, Hygenex, Purex, Handee, Deeko, Treasures, Libra and Tena. [source]

Cambell Brothers sells brands to Colgate Palmolive
In 2004 Campbell sold it's major laundry and detergent brands Hurricane, Love N Care, Fluffy, Moresoft and Castle to Colgate Palmolive Pty Ltd. [source]

Roche sells consumer health business to Bayer
Roche Consumer Health sold to Bayer for a price of 3.6 billion Swiss francs [source]

Unilever sells Aim, Close-Up and Huggie to Pental Products
Symex announced that Pental Products, which it wholly owns, had acquired the rights to toothpaste brands Aim and Close-Up, as well as fabric softener Huggie, from Unilever for an undisclosed amount.[source]

2003

Unilever sells Brut and Norsca to Pharmacare
Previously owned by Unilever, the two brands were sold to a smaller company, Pharmacare (Australian Owned), in 2003 as part of Unilever's strategy to pare down its product portfolio and focus only on a core range of global brands. [source]

2002

Unilever sells Rosella to Stuart Alexander
[source]

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