Reckitt Benckiser
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| Reckitt Benckiser plc | |
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| Type | Public LSE: RB |
| Founded | 1814 1938 by merger of Reckitt & Sons and J&J Colman. 1999 by merger of Reckitt & Colman and Benckiser. |
| Headquarters | Slough, England, UK |
| Key people | Adrian Bellamy (Chairman) Bart Becht (CEO) Colin Day (CFO) |
| Industry | Chemicals |
| Products | Cleaning products, healthcare, condiments |
| Revenue | £5,3 billion (2007) |
| Operating income | £1,2 billion (2007) |
| Net income | £938 million (2007) |
| Employees | 21,900 (2006) |
| Website | www.reckittbenckiser.com |
Reckitt Benckiser plc is one of the world's leading manufacturers of cleaning products, and a member of the FTSE 100 Index of the largest companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. It is headquartered in the town of Slough just to the west of Greater London.
Reckitt Benckiser has operations in more than sixty countries and sells its products in more than 180 countries. The company focuses on high-margin products and has shown strong growth in earnings per share in recent years. At 31 December 2006, it had a market capitalisation of £16.878 billion.
On December 10, 2007 it announced a Tender for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics Inc for $2.3 Billion.
Contents |
[edit] History
The company was formed by a merger between Britain's Reckitt & Colman and the Dutch company Benckiser NV in December 1999. The origins of Reckitt Benckiser's main predecessor businesses are set out below. Various other business have also been purchased over the years.
- Colman's was founded in 1814 when Jeremiah Colman began milling flour and mustard in Norwich, England
- Johann A. Benckiser founded a business in Germany in 1823. Its main products were industrial chemicals.
- Isaac Reckitt rented a starch mill in Hull, England, in 1840. He diversified into other household products and in due course passed on his business to his four sons. Reckitt & Sons listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1888
- In 1938 Reckitt & Sons merged with J&J Colman to become Reckitt & Colman Ltd.
Reckitt & Colman sold the Colman's food business in 1995 but still has some food brands. It divides its brands into six categories: surface care, fabric care, dishwashing, home care, health and personal care, and food.
Benckiser moved HQ from Germany to the Netherlands and went public in 1997.
In October 2005, Reckitt Benckiser agreed to purchase the over-the-counter drugs manufacturing business of Boots Group, Boots Healthcare International, for £1.926 billion. The three main brands acquired were Nurofen in analgesics; Strepsils sore throat lozenges; and Clearasil anti-acne treatments.
In September 2006, the company announced it would close its factory in Bilbao, Spain.
[edit] Controversy
In March, 2008, Reckitt Benckiser was accused of blocking a generic version of one of its most popular products, Gaviscon. The generic remedy, it was estimated, could save the NHS up to £40M. Leaked documents from Reckitt Benckiser revealed the existence of 'Project Eric', the objective of which appeared to be the manipulation of doctors and regulators[1].
[edit] Brands
This is a list of the brands owned by Reckitt Benckiser. Not all brands are sold in every country, and the same product may be sold under different brands in different countries.
| Name | Location | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerogard | ||||
| Air Wick | ||||
| Amphyl | ||||
| Bonjela | UK | Bonjela Teething Gel website | UK Mouth Ulcer website | |
| Brasso | ||||
| Calgon | ||||
| Calgonit | ||||
| Cattlemen's | ||||
| Ceraclen | Germany, Austria, Switzerland | |||
| Chore Boy | this brand was just divested to Prestige | |||
| Cillit | ||||
| Clean and Smooth | ||||
| Clearasil | part of Boots Healthcare International (BHI) purchase in October 2005 | |||
| Cling | ||||
| Cling Free | ||||
| d-Con | ||||
| Dettol | ||||
| dip-it | ||||
| Disprin | ||||
| Easy-Off | ||||
| Easy On | ||||
| Electrasol | US Canada | As of May 2008, being rebranded as Finish | ||
| Finish | Dishwasher detergent | |||
| Frank's Red Hot | ||||
| French's Foods | ||||
| Gaviscon | Gaviscon UK website | Gaviscon UK Advice website | ||
| Glass Magic | ||||
| Glass Mates | ||||
| Glass Plus | ||||
| Glassex | ||||
| Harpic | ||||
| Hoffmann's | Germany, Austria, and Switzerland | |||
| Jet-Dry | ||||
| Lemsip | Lemsip UK website | |||
| Lewis Red Devil | ||||
| Lime-A-Way | ||||
| Lysol | ||||
| Masterpiece Metalist | ||||
| Mop & Glo | ||||
| Mortein | ||||
| Mr. Sheen | ||||
| Nenuco | ||||
| Neutra-Air | ||||
| Nurofen | part of BHI purchase | Nurofen UK website | ||
| Nurofen for children | Nurofen for Children UK website | |||
| Noxon | ||||
| Old English | ||||
| Perk | ||||
| Precision Blend | ||||
| Resolve | ||||
| Rid-X | ||||
| Robin Blue | India, Pakistan | laundry bluing | ||
| Sagrotan | ||||
| Sani-Flush | ||||
| Senokot | UK | |||
| Spray 'n Starch | ||||
| Spray 'n Wash | ||||
| Strepsils | part of BHI purchase | |||
| Vanish | ||||
| Vani-Sol | ||||
| Veet | ||||
| Vitroclen | ||||
| Vivid | ||||
| Wenol | Germany | Metal polish | ||
| Wizard | ||||
| Woolite | ||||
| Yes | ||||
| Zud |
[edit] Ownership
- JAB Investments, 15.4%
- Legal & General Investment Management, 3.2%
- MFS Investment Management, 3.1%
[edit] Competitors
- Clorox
- Colgate-Palmolive
- Henkel
- Procter & Gamble
- S. C. Johnson & Son
- Unilever
- Sara Lee
- Church and Dwight
