When you think of big, successful companies, you often associate them with being American, regardless of their industry. This isn’t always the case, and sometimes they have come from further afield. Here are 18 companies we all thought were American but aren’t.
American Apparel
You would be forgiven for thinking American Apparel is American, as it’s literally in the name. As Fashion Network reports, after filing for bankruptcy in 2015, American Apparel was acquired by Gildan, a Canadian company, as they had a successful bid for $103 million.
Smithfield
Smithfield was once a well-known American pork producer across the country. However, back in 2013, they were acquired by China’s Shuanghui Group for a staggering $4.7 billion.
The acquisition could certainly be described as a positive one since they have become the world’s leading pork producer.
Sunglass Hut
Sunglass Hut was an American start-up in 1971. Founded by optometrist Sanford L. Ziff and based out of Miami, they became America’s leading sunglasses store. However, in 2001, they were acquired by the Italian Luxottica Group for $653 million, and since then, they have continued to grow on the world stage.
Ben & Jerry’s
The popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s was started up in Vermont back in 1978. It remained an American brand for 22 years until it was acquired by the British-Dutch company Unilever in 2000. A substantial $326 million was swapped, and Ben & Jerry’s has continued to be a success.
Holiday Inn
The well-known budget-friendly hotel chain was founded back in 1952. The inspiration to start this brand came from a Christmas movie. It remained American-owned for 36 years before being purchased by the British company InterContinental Hotels Group.
Hoover
As reported by Forbes, the idea for the business started all the way back in the early 1900s. Since then, it has gone on to be a popular product across the world, with English people even referring to doing the vacuum cleaning as “hoovering.” The U.S. division was sold to Hong Kong’s Techtronic Industries in 2007.
Motorola Mobility
Motorola was a massive brand that played a key role in the innovation of technology. They were the first company to release a mobile phone and produce the first car radio. The business was split into two divisions in 2011, with the Mobility arm sold to China’s Lenovo in 2014 for $2.9 billion.
AMC Theaters
AMC Theaters used to be all across the country, bringing you the latest movies to watch. They were originally founded as a North American company before they were sold to China’s Dalian Wanda in 2012. Part of the acquisition deal included control of 5,048 cinema screens in the U.S. and Canada.
Ironman
Ironman is a world triathlon corporation that was originally owned by the American company Providence Equity Partners LLC. The company is famous for its Ironman events, which see thousands compete all across the world. In 2015, they were eventually sold to Dalian Wanda.
Legendary Entertainment Group
Legendary Entertainment Group was an American movie studio company before being bought out in 2016. They have co-financed some top-rated films over the years, including Jurassic Park and Warcraft. They were acquired for $3.5 billion by the well-known Chinese company Dalian Wanda.
Budweiser
Arguably, one of America’s most-known beers is Budweiser. This brand used to be American, but in 2008, Budweiser merged with Belgium’s InBev. The beer brand was originally founded in St. Louis in 1879 before approximately $52 billion crossed hands when the merger was complete.
Dirt Devil
Dirt Devil was an American manufacturer of vacuum cleaners. Founded in 1905, they were seen as embodying the American entrepreneurial spirit. However, in 2002, they were no longer American, as they bought the Chinese company Techtronic Industries. The buy gave the brand a new identity, which may not have been possible without the purchase.
Good Humor
This ice cream brand started selling out of trucks before growing nationwide. As mentioned by CNBC, “In 1961, the Thomas J. Lipton Company acquired it, and Lipton’s parent company, the British and Dutch Unilever, merged Good Humor with its other ice cream brands, Breyers, Klondike Bar, and Popsicle, in 1993.”
Popsicle
Popsicles were invented in 1905 by arguably one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs of his time, 11-year-old Frank Epperson. The creation of the popsicle was somewhat of an accident, as it originated as a frozen drink that turned into popsicle form. It was sold to Good Humor in 1989 and is now owned by Unilever.
IBM PC Division
IBM was a pioneer in the computer market. They revolutionized the home computer market in 1981, becoming a massive success. However, in 2005, their computer division was sold to Lenovo, a Chinese company. The sale was needed to turn the brand around after many struggling years.
Purina
Purina is a common pet food brand that actually started off as feed for livestock back in the 1800s. In more recent times, the original American brand has been acquired on a few occasions, first by British Petroleum and then by the well-known Swiss brand Nestlé.
Citgo
Citgo has had its fair share of excitement as a brand. Originally, it was founded in Ohio by oilman Henry Latham Doherty in the early 20th century. However, in 1990, it was sold to Venezuela’s state oil and gas corporation. Due to the crisis in Venezuela, Citgo was used as collateral for debt to Russia.
Firestone
Firestone started off as an American tire company founded in 1901 by Harvey Firestone. However, as reported by Rubber News in February 1988, the well-known Japanese company Bridgestone was successful in buying a controlling interest in Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. for $1.25 billion.
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