15 Famous UK Brands NOW owned by foreigners!
Jun 28, 2010 | Categories: Corporate Logos | Written By: Sam Anderson
 

A brand identity is strongly associated with its country of origin. As more and more logo designs are being created for corporate identities, people are becoming patriotic when it comes to choosing products and services. The people in UK are extremely brand conscious and generally prefer British brands over their foreign counterparts.

If we take a glance at fashion brands, the people in UK still favor wearing British brands to demonstrate a sense of nationalism. This is why many organizations have tailored their brand package design to be in consonance with the country they operate in. There have been several mergers, acquisitions and takeovers of British brands that were severely criticized and are still detested by the people of UK. The most recent was the Cadbury takeover by Kraft.

Following are 15 UK brands that are now under foreign ownership:
 

1. Bentley
Established in 18 January 1919
Founded by Walter Owen Bentley
Taken over in 1998
Current Owner Volkswagen Group
 
 

2. Harrods
Established in 1834
Founded by Charles Henry Harrod
Taken over in 8 May 2010
Current Owner Qatar Holdings
 
 

3. Lotus cars
Established in 1952
Founded by Colin Chapman
Taken over in 1994
Current Owner Proton
 
 

4. Chelsea FC
Established in 10 March 1905
Founded by Ken Bates
Taken over in June 2003
Current Owner Roman Abramovich
(Russian billionaire)
 
 

5. Rowntree’s
Established in 1862
Founded by Henry Isaac Rowntree
Taken over in 1988
Current Owner Nestlé
 
 

6. Rolls Royce Motor Cars
Established in 1906
Founded by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce
Taken over in 2003
Current Owner BMW Group
 
 

7. Weetabix
Established in 1936
Founded by Bennison Osborne
Taken over in 2003
Current Owner HM Capital Partners
 
 

8. O2 phones
Established in 1985
Founded by British Telecommunications and Securicor
Taken over in 2006
Current Owner Telefónica
 
 

9. Manchester United FC
Established in 1878
Founded by Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company
Taken over in May 2005
Current Owner Malcolm Glazer (American businessman)
 
 

10. Cadbury
Established in 1824
Founded by John Cadbury
Taken over in January 2010
Current Owner Kraft Foods
 
 

11. Orange™
Established in 1994
Founded by Hutchison Telecom
Taken over in August 2000
Current Owner France Télécom
 
 

12. United Biscuits
Established in 1948
Founded by McVitie & Price and MacFarlane Lang
Taken over in 2006
Current Owner Blackstone Group and PAI Partners
 
 

13. British Steel
Established in 1967
Founded by Corus Group
Taken over in March 2007
Current Owner Tata Steel
 
 

14. Npower
Established in 2000
Founded by -
Taken over in 2002
Current Owner Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk(RWE)
 
 

15. Austin Motor Company
Established in 1905
Founded by Herbert Austin
Taken over in 2005
Current Owner Nanjing Automotive
 
 
Being a British how do you feel about your favorite British brands that are now under foreign control?
 

3 Appreciated comments to “15 Famous UK Brands NOW owned by foreigners!”

  1. Douwe-Jan Says:
    July 2nd, 2010 at 4:01 am

    And how about MG? Rover (Land Rover) etc?

  2. Cooking Games Says:
    July 8th, 2010 at 9:04 am

    looking like good design and unique logo

  3. John Says:
    September 21st, 2010 at 12:44 am

    I did not realise that Ken Bates founded Chelsea FC in 1905.

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