Are your favourite brands as independent as you think they are?

From skincare products to snack foods, read on to discover the real names behind the brands we know and love. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars

Just one glance at Aussie's range of hair products – featuring that unmissable kangaroo logo – would tell you that the company’s wares have a hint of the Australian about them (if the name hadn't already given it away).

But did you know that the company was actually founded by an American businessman in 1979? The Aussie brand remains in American hands today, having been snapped up by the multibillion-dollar corporation Procter & Gamble in 2001.

Coca-Cola isn't just famous for producing some of the world's best-loved soft drinks – it's also the brand behind the likes of Cappy.

Available in countries all over the world, the fruit juice claims to contain more than 99% natural juice and no added sugar.

Messaging service WhatsApp launched in 2009, hitting a record one billion messages in a single day just two years later.

The app’s user base quickly grew as additional features such as group chats, voice notes, and read receipts were added into the mix.

Facebook (now Meta) was quick to pounce on the app's success, acquiring it for $16 billion in 2014, the equivalent of $21.2 billion (£16.5bn) in today's money.

In 2007, baby product company Gerber was acquired for $5.5 billion by Nestlé, that's $8.3 billion (£6.5bn) in 2024 money.

Prior to purchasing the company, Nestlé wasn’t a major player in the US baby food market and was mainly used by families in Brazil and China.

YouTube is the world’s best-known video-sharing site and Google snapped it up in 2006 for $1.65 billion, or $2.6 billion (£2bn) in today's money.

In January, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet revealed that YouTube's various paid-for services had heavily contributed to subscription revenues of around $15 billion (£11.7bn) in 2023.

Some of Britain’s most iconic cars have been made by Jaguar Land Rover.

However, since 2008, the company has actually been owned by Indian firm Tata Motors. It paid an inflation-adjusted $3.4 billion (£2.7bn) for the company. 

Aside from selling soft drinks, PepsiCo is also a multinational food and beverage company, and owns dozens of brands.

Among them is Stacy’s Pita Chips, which was acquired by the firm in 2006 for an undisclosed amount, joining a list of other small companies that have been accused of "selling out" to the mainstream market. 

Disney bought the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1995 after years of trying to poach the broadcaster through various deals.

ABC originally helped Disney to fund the construction of Disneyland in exchange for a weekly Sunday night show, which was also called Disneyland. ABC then went on to air The Mickey Mouse Club, and years later, Disney acquired the media company for $19 billion, a staggering $39 billion (£30.4bn) in today's money.

Burt’s Bees was snapped up by Clorox in 2007 for the equivalent of $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) in today’s money.

At the time, sceptics worried the acquisition would affect the clean-living nature of the Burt’s Bees name. However, it emerged that the personal care brand had actually helped to enhance Clorox's sustainability by pushing for more ethically sourced ingredients.

Seeds of Change is another example of a once-small company that was sold to a large corporation. The organic seed and food company was acquired by Mars in 1997 for an undisclosed amount.

In 2019, Mars launched a Seeds of Change accelerator programme, intended to fast-track healthy and sustainable food start-ups into successful companies.

The UK's Simple Skincare was acquired by the British multinational company Unilever back in 2010, adding to Unilever’s vast range of hugely successful brands.

Simple was originally snapped up by Alberto Culver in December 2009, before Unilever acquired Alberto Culver less than a year later.

Book review site Goodreads was a page-turning prospect for Amazon in 2013.

After all, Goodreads boasted more than 10 million members who shared their opinions on the books they were reading – invaluable information for a company that had gone from launching out of a garage to becoming the world’s biggest book retailer.

Amazon reportedly paid around $150 million for the business, or $200 million (£156m) in 2024 money.

You might be surprised to learn that Quaker is owned by PepsiCo. It acquired the oats company in 2001 in exchange for $13.8 billion in stock because it wanted to add Quaker’s subsidiary, Gatorade, to its collection of sports drinks.

Quaker has provided balance for the brand, serving as a healthier counterpart to subsidiaries such as Frito-Lay, which owns a number of not-so-nutritious snack brands, including Cheetos.

Mars is known for its confectionery products, but it doesn’t just produce human treats – it’s also the company behind some of the biggest names in pet food, including Pedigree, Royal Canin, and Whiskas.

Mars Petcare is actually one of the most profitable pet food firms in the world and rakes in serious money for its parent company. In fact, recent figures show that the petcare arm of the conglomerate accounted for around 60% of its 2023 revenue.

After competing with Instagram in the social media sphere since the app’s inception in 2010, Meta was quick to acquire the photo-sharing platform just two years later for $1 billion, the equivalent of $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) today.

In 2019, it was reported that Meta owned the four most downloaded apps of the last decade in the form of Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

In 1919, a small hotel opened in Cisco, Texas, sparking the beginning of the sprawling hospitality conglomerate that we all know today as Hilton.

Company founder Conrad Hilton had long kept a photo of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York under his desk, inscribed with the words "The greatest of them all". In 1949, he was able to add the hotel to his growing portfolio.

Today there are more than 30 Waldorf properties across the world, and the Waldorf Astoria brand is considered to be the most luxurious in the Hilton portfolio. 

ABC purchased ESPN in 1984, so when Disney acquired ABC in 1996, the sports channel came as part of the package.

While the cost of the deal wasn't revealed, a 2023 Forbes article suggests that ESPN could be worth as much as $24 billion (£18.7bn).  

Motorola was the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer until Nokia arrived on the scene in the early noughties. Demand for Motorola products dried up even more when Apple entered the market.

In 2012, Google acquired Motorola for $12.5 billion ($17.1bn/£13.3bn today), primarily to gain its patent portfolio as it looked to dominate the Android market.

Google was quick to sell Motorola off again. The company was bought by Lenovo in 2014 for $2.9 billion ($3.9bn/£3bn today), although Google shrewdly kept hold of the patents it had acquired.

Campbell's bought famed Austrian-American chef Wolfgang Puck’s eponymous soup business in 2008, in an agreement that allowed Campbell's to use the brand on soup, stock, and broth products.

Although the financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, Wolfgang Puck was averaging annual sales of around $22 million ($32m/£25m today) at the time of the acquisition.

In another big tech deal, fitness tracker titan Fitbit was eventually bought by Google in 2021 for $2.1 billion ($2.4bn/£1.9bn today), following fierce debate about how Google could access users’ data.

Google countered concerns by stressing that it was specifically Fitbit’s hardware that had made the acquisition appealing, noting that user privacy would be maintained.

Organic cereal brand Cascadian Farm was poached by General Mills, one of the world's largest food companies, for an undisclosed figure in 1999.

Controversy erupted a decade later when people noticed that the sugar content in the company’s Purely O’s had tripled since the acquisition. This prompted Cascadian Farm to change the recipe back to just one gram of the sweet stuff per serving.

Granola company Bear Naked has been owned by Kellogg’s since 2007 when it was bought by Kashi, a subsidiary of the cereal giant.

Kelly Flatley, the founder of Bear Naked, started and sold the business for the 2024 equivalent of $91 million (£71m) before she turned 30.

Business-focused social network LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and currently boasts around one billion users. In 2016, when Microsoft splashed out $26.2 billion ($34.3bn/£26.8bn today) to acquire the platform, it had 433 million global users. 

At the time, it was Microsoft's priciest acquisition, but the move has clearly paid off. LinkedIn reported last year that its "revenue surpassed $15 billion (£11.7bn) for the first time this fiscal year and membership growth has now accelerated for eight quarters in a row".

While Ralph Lauren Corporation owns and runs its eponymous designer clothing brand, its fragrance division, including the Polo collection, comes under the jurisdiction of beauty giant L’Oréal's Luxe Division.

The perfume brand is in good company as L’Oréal is one of the world’s biggest cosmetics conglomerates, with the likes of Maybelline New York, NYX, Garnier, Lancôme, and Urban Decay all falling under its umbrella. 

Adding to its range of healthier drinks, Coca-Cola purchased VitaminWater in 2007 as part of the acquisition of Energy Brands, an "enhanced water" distributor.

It paid around $4.1 billion in cash, the equivalent of $6.2 billion (£4.8bn) in today's money. Coca-Cola later faced a lawsuit over claims it was misleading buyers by describing VitaminWater as a "healthy drink".

The Body Shop first established itself in 1976 as a small beauty and bodycare shop in Brighton, England.

Its success in the natural cosmetics world attracted the attention of leading French conglomerate L’Oréal, which bought the company in 2006. The now-global chain was then acquired by Brazilian group Natura in 2017 before being sold to private equity firm Aurelius in November 2023.

Video call software company Skype was founded in 2003. Just two years later, eBay paid $2.5 billion ($4.3bn/£3.4bn today) plus incentives for the communication firm.

After a series of complicated deals with the original owners and a consortium of buyers, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011, the equivalent of $11.9 billion (£9.3bn) today.

Supermarket Whole Foods has always prided itself on the ethical reputation that comes with selling natural and organic products, and there was a flurry of controversy when e-commerce giant Amazon took over the company in 2017 for $13.7 billion ($17.5bn/£13.7bn today).

One of Amazon’s promises on taking over the grocery brand was that products would become cheaper and that customers with Prime memberships could secure additional discounts on their shopping.

These days, the global burger chain behind the Whopper is owned by an Ottawa-based holding company called Restaurant Brands International, which was formed by the merger of Burger King and Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons in 2014.

Restaurant Brands International added US chicken chain Popeyes to its roster in 2017.

In 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the tech giant had bought around 100 companies in the previous six years.

Its most famous acquisition is arguably Beats By Dre. The company was co-founded by hip-hop star Dr Dre in 2006 after he realised he disliked the music quality offered by Apple's earbuds. This led to the launch of the globally adored Beats By Dre headphones.

Apple bought the brand for $3.2 billion ($4.3bn/£3.4bn today) in 2014 and has continued to grow the Beats range.

Mondelez, formerly Kraft, bought UK confectionery giant Cadbury in 2010 for $14.6 billion, a sweet $21 billion (£16.4bn) in 2024 money.

However, the deal was made under controversial circumstances as Cadbury had previously resisted the takeover because it felt "undervalued".

Kraft initially agreed to honour Cadbury’s commitment to only using Fairtrade cocoa beans, but in 2016 the company confirmed that it was no longer working with the foundation. In 2019, its signature brand, Dairy Milk, replaced its Fairtrade certification on packaging with the branding of Cocoa Life, the sustainable cocoa sourcing program.

In 1994, Starbucks struck a deal with PepsiCo to market and sell the ready-to-drink Starbucks range in North America, under the North American Coffee Partnership (NACP).

The aim was to combine Starbucks' recipe and Pepsi's distribution system to sell the branded cold drinks in supermarkets and stores. Similar deals have been struck in the past between Starbucks and businesses in other markets, including Japan and Europe.

In September 2021, it was announced that Bill Gates' investment fund Cascade Investments had bought a controlling stake in the Four Seasons hotel chain.

The $2.2 billion ($2.6bn/£2bn today) deal gave Cascade a 71.3% stake in the business. It previously owned 47.5% but increased its share by purchasing half of the stake owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.

There are more than 120 Four Seasons hotels across 47 countries, including Azerbaijan, Tanzania, and Mauritius. 

Known for its opulent prints and eye-catching colours, Italian fashion house Versace was bought by Michael Kors Holdings in 2018.

Donatella Versace, the sister of founder Gianni who was murdered in 1997, is still the company's chief creative officer. Michael Kors Holdings, which has since changed its name to Capri Holdings Ltd, had previously bought luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo for $1 billion ($1.3bn/£1bn today) in 2017. 

The second largest airline in the UK fully partnered with Spain’s flag carrier airline, Iberia in 2010. Both are now part of the International Airlines Group (IAG).

Since the merger, Aer Lingus and Vueling have also been added to the conglomerate’s portfolio.

Innocent Drinks is known for its witty advertising, but did you know that the brand, renowned for its pure fruit smoothies and juices, is owned by Coca-Cola?

The drinks empire already owned 58% of Innocent before it took over more than 90% of the company in 2013 for a reported $137 million, the equivalent of $185 million (£144m) today.

Coca-Cola completed its purchase of Costa Limited in January 2019 for a hefty $4.9 billion ($6bn/£4.7bn today).

The UK coffee shop chain was previously owned by one of the nation’s biggest hospitality companies, Whitbread, and already operated in 30 countries when it was sold, giving Coca-Cola a huge slice of the global coffee business.

Kellogg's (also known as Kellanova) might be a household name when it comes to cereal, but it also owns some of your favourite snack brands. Pringles, Nutri-Grain, and Town House are just some of the names that fall under the Kellogg’s umbrella.

However, ownership of Pringles looks set to change once more after Mars struck a deal in August of this year to buy Kellanova for a staggering $36 billion (£28bn). The deal is subject to approval by Kellanova’s shareholders and regulators.

British breakfast staple Weetabix has been made in the UK since 1932 and was family-owned until 2004.

China’s Bright Food bought a 60% stake in the company in 2012 and although sales in China doubled following the purchase, the UK still accounts for most revenue.

Weetabix was then put up for sale once again in January 2017 and now belongs to US firm Post Holdings following an acquisition deal.

Luxury car brand Bentley has been a subsidiary of Volkswagen since 1998 when the German car corporation outbid BMW with an offer of £430 million, the equivalent of $829 million (£647m) today.

It's thought that Volkswagen invested several billion dollars to boost the Bentley brand after the takeover was complete. 

The first Hard Rock Cafe opened in London's Mayfair in the 1970s, and the entertainment brand has since grown into a global restaurant, hotel, and casino chain, with locations in over 70 countries. 

Much of that growth is attributed to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which purchased Hard Rock International in 2007 for nearly $1 billion, the equivalent of $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) today.

Tom Chappell is the man behind the Tom's of Maine product range, which includes toothpastes, soaps, and deodorants made with natural ingredients derived from plants and minerals.

After 35 years in business, he sold the brand to Colgate-Palmolive for $100 million ($156m/£122m today) in 2006. Chappell and his family retained a small stake in the Tom's brand, and he also went on to launch wool apparel retailer Ramblers Way.

Columbia Sportswear scooped up the trademark for Canadian winter boot brand Sorel in 2000 for a mere $8 million ($14.6m/£11.4m today) after manufacturer William H. Kaufman entered into bankruptcy.

Fast-forward to 2023 and Sorel reported revenues of $336 million (£262m) after the new owner started offering more fashionable footwear alongside the iconic Caribou boots. 

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Updated by Alice Cattley