Who Are You Really Supporting When You Buy A Certain Brand?

Overheard at a coffee shop: “Eh! Since your girlfriend keep buying make-up from M-A-C and Michael Kors, why don’t you invest in Estée Lauder stocks?”

LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE (Also Known As LVMH)

I remember attending one of Fendi‘s closed-door event just to see what’s up.

This Fendi X FILA collaboration is to die for, but not good for personal finance.

At the event, I went a little crazy on the booze, sipping on some Moët Champagne. My friend was showing us his latest Tag Heuer, but his partner’s expensive Louis Vuitton handbag stole the show.

We ended the night at one of my favourite clubs, CÉ LA VI where we downed a bottle of Belvedere Vodka.

Welcome to the world of conglomerates. Most of the brands stated above were subsidiaries of a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH. Christian Dior SE (also known as Dior) holds 42.36% shares and 59.01% voting rights within LVMH.

Some Of The Largest Conglomerates In The World

Conglomerates are the result of years of acquisitions and mergers between companies. They ultimately form several smaller companies owned by a larger corporation. Each of these smaller companies takes charge and run their own entity.

Who Are You Really Paying?

We look at some of the brands which Singaporeans are more familiar with.

Some of which are brands we see on a daily basis and the conglomerate which owns them can surprise you!

Nestlé

Nestlé has got more than 2,000 brands under its wing. Nestlé dominated a few categories around the world with its brands.

These categories include:

• Beverages (Coffee, water included)
• Cereals
• Chilled products
• Chocolate, confectionery and baked goods
• Frozen food,
• Infant foods
• Petcare and many more

In the year 2018, Nestlé made a total revenue of CHF91.43 billion (S$125.23 billion).

Here are some of the brands under Nestlé which Singaporeans are super familiar with:

Brands Of Beverages Under Nestlé

• Carnation
• Milo
• Dolce Gusto
• Nescafé
• Nespresso
• Starbucks (Perpetual License)
• Perrier
• Ice Mountain
• Libby’s
• Enviga
• Internation Roast

Brands Of Cereals Under Nestlé

• Cheerios
• Koko Krunch
• Cookie Crisp
• Honey Stars
• Milo Cereals
• TRIO Cereal
• Nestlé Corn Flakes
• Fitness
• Golden Nuggets
• Curiously Cinnamon
• Curiously Strawberry

Brands Of Chocolate, Confectionery And Baked Goods Under Nestlé

• After Eight
• Chips Ahoy!
• Kit Kat
• Milky Bar
• Munch
• Munchies
• Rolo
• Smarties
• Rowntrees
• Scorched Almonds

Brands Of Petcare Products Under Nestlé

• Friskies
• Mighty Dog
• Dog Chow
• Cat Chow
• Busy Bone

The Luxury Fashion Industry

For those who are into luxury fashion, do note that most of your fashion brands below to only a handful of conglomerates. Most of the brands at least, except brands such as Chanel which is owned.

LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE (Also Known As LVMH)

When it comes to luxury goods, LVMH is one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

Listed on the Euronext Paris exchange, one can look to invest in LVMH (MC: FP) should you believe in the business of LVMH.

LVMH recorded revenue of €46.8 billion (S$70.79 billion) in the year 2018. On top of fashion and leather goods, LVMH also has subsidiaries in wine, spirits, watches, jewellery, perfume and cosmetics.

You might be one of LVMH’s supporter. Check out some of the brands under LVMH which Singaporeans are familiar with:

Fashion And Leather Goods Brands Under LVMH

• Loewe
• Moynat
• Louis Vuitton
• Berluti
• Rimowa
• Patou
• Loro Piana
• Fendi
• Celine
• Christian Dior
• Emilio Pucci
• Givenchy
• Kenzo
• Marc Jacobs
• Fenty
• Pink Shirtmaker
• Nicholas Kirkwood

Wine And Spirits Brands Under LVMH

• Clos Des Lambrays
• Chateau D’yquem
• Dom Perignon
• Ruinart
• Moët & Chandon
• Hennessy
• Veuve Clicquot
• Ardbeg
• Chateau Cheval Blanc
• Belvedere
• Cloudy Bay
• Mercier

Can you spot your favourite alcohol?

Perfumes And Cosmetics Brands Under LVMH

• Acqua di Parma
• Benefit Cosmetics
• Cha Ling
• Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
• Fresh
• Givenchy Parfums
• Guerlain
• Kat Von D Beauty
• Kenzo Parfums
• Maison Francis Kurkdjian
• Make Up For Ever
• Marc Jacobs Beauty
• Parfums Christian Dior
• Perfumes Loewe

Watches And Jewellery Brands Under LVMH

• Bvlgari
• Chaumet
• Fred
• Hublot
• TAG Heuer
• Zenith

Other Brands Under LVMH

• DFS
• Sephora
• CÉ LA VI
• Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche
• Starboard Cruise Services

Kering

To all the Gucci lovers out there, bet you have no idea who is the luxury group behind the brand.

Kering recorded revenue of €13.7 billion (S$20.69 billion) in the year 2018. Unlike LVMH, Kering is quite focused on the sectors which their brands are in. All the brands they own are on the luxury fashion sector.

Kering is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange under the ticker EPA: KER.

Brands Under Kering

Check out some of the brands under Kering which Singaporeans are familiar with:

• Gucci
• Saint Laurent
• Bottega Veneta
• Balenciaga
• Alexander McQueen
• Brioni
• Cartier Eyewear
• Montblanc Eyewear
• Puma Eyewear
• Boucheron
• Pomellato
• DoDo
• Qeelin

Prada Group

Prada is an Italian luxury fashion house with a few brands under its wing. In the year 2018, they made a total of €1.5 billion (S$2.27 billion) in revenue. Prada is listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under ticker 1913: Hong Kong.

Brands Under Prada

Check out some of the brands under Prada which Singaporeans are familiar with:

• Prada
• Miu Miu
• Church’s
• Car Shoe
• Pasticceria Marchesi

Arcadia

Arcadia Group headquarters in London, United Kingdom. They made a total of £1.9 billion (S$3.32 billion) in revenue.

Brands Under Prada

Subsidiaries of Arcadia Group which Singaporeans are familiar with:

• Burton
• Dorthy Perkins
• Evans
• Miss Selfridge
• Topman
• Topshop
• Outfit
• Wallis

All Beauty Products Are Owned By Only A Few Conglomerates

I am in tears right now. Having supported brands such as Pantene and Gillette, I found out today that they fall under the same umbrella, Procter and Gamble (P&G). The $445 billion industry is dominated by a small number of conglomerates worldwide.

Here are the companies dominating the space, other than the previous mentioned LVMH. Prepare to be taken aback!

L’Oréal

According to Insider, L’Oréal has the most brands under its wing. In the year 2018, these brands drove a total revenue of €26.93 billion (S$40.70 billion) for L’Oréal.

Here are some of the brands L’Oréal owns:

• Lancôme.
• Giorgio Armani.
• Yves Saint Laurent Beauté
• Kiehl’s.
• Ralph Lauren.
• Shu Uemura.
• Urban Decay.
• Garnier
• Maybelline
• NYX Professional Makeup
• L’Oréal

Unilever

Unilever made a total revenue of €50.982 billion (S$77.05 billion) in the year 2018. It is one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies with more than 400 brands.

On top of beauty, Unilever owns brands in the food and beverages and home care industry.

Here are some of the brands Unilever own which are familiar to Singaporeans:

Some Of The Food And Beverages Brands Under Unilever

• Ben & Jerry’s
• Best Foods
• Colman’s
• Lipton
• Fruc
• Lyons
• Paddle Pop
• Pot Noodle
• Popsicle
• Marmite
• Pure Leaf
• Wall’s
• Knorr
• Cornetto
• Magnum

Fun fact: Unilever is the world’s biggest Ice Cream manufacturer.

Some Of The Beauty Brands Under Unilever

• Dove
• Clear
• Lifebuoy
• Sunsilk
• Lux
• Rexona
• Citra
• Aviance
• Hazeline
• Toni & Guy
• Vaseline
• Mately

Some Of The Home Care Brands Under Unilever

Unilever also has brands that produce home care necessities. Some of the brands are as follows:

• Cif
• Comfort
• Jif
• Persil
• Sunlight
• Vixal
• Sunil

If these terms sound foreign to you, simply check out their logos online. Pretty sure you will be able to recognise most of them!

Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder made a total revenue of USD11.82 billion (S$16.1 billion) in the year 2017. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker NYSE: EL.

Some Of The Brands Under Estée Lauder

Here are some of the brands Estée Lauder owns:

• AERIN Beauty
• Aramis
• Aveda
• BECCA
• Bobbi Brown
• Bumble and bumble
• Clinique
• Darphin
• DKNY
• Donna Karan Cosmetics
• Editions de Parfums
• Frédéric Malle
• Ermenegildo Zegna Parfums
• Estée Lauder
• GLAMGLOW
• Jo Malone London
• KILIAN
• Kiton
• La Mer
• Lab Series
• Le Labo
• M·A·C
• Michael Kors Beauty
• Origins
• RODIN olio lusso
• Smashbox
• Tom Ford Beauty
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Too Faced
• Tory Burch Beauty

Procter and Gamble (P&G)

The Procter and Gamble (P&G) company is an American conglomerate.

Listed in New York Stock Exchange, it is traded under stock ticker NYSE: PG. As of the year 2019, P&G made a total of USD67.68 billion (S$92.23 billion).

Some Of The Brands Under Procter and Gamble (P&G)

Here are some of the brands under P&G’s wing:

• Pampers
• Tide
• Ariel
• Downy
• Ace
• Gain
• Tampax
• Head & Shoulders
• Herbal Essences
• Old Spice
• Pantene
• Febreze
• Ambi Pur
• Braun
• Gillette
• Vicks
• Oral-B

Shiseido Group

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational personal care company. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 4911:TYO.

In the year 2018, it generated 1.095 trillion JPY (S$13.7 billion) in revenue. Their range of brands stretched from high-end cosmetic, fragrance to personal care and healthcare.

Some Of The Brands Under Shiseido Group

Here are some of the brands under the Shiseido group:

• NARS
• bareMinerals
• Shiseido
• Issey Miyake Parfums
• Dolce & Gabbana Fragrance
• Avène
• Za
• Elixir
• Anessa
• Haku
• Urara
• Revital Granas
• The Collagen

Al-Futtaim Group

Al-Futtaim Group is a conglomerate based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

In the year 2018, they generated a total revenue of AED4.6 billion (S$1.7 billion).

They own quite a number of subsidiaries in the electronics automotive, financial services and real estate business in UAE which is one of the reasons why most Singaporeans have little idea of this conglomerate. Their retail brands, however, will be something that most of us are familiar with.

Al-Futtaim Owns These Brands In Singapore:

• Marks & Spencer
• Zara
• Ted Baker
• bebe
• Robinsons
• Bershaka
• Coast London
• DC Shoes
• Gold House
• Lacoste
• Mango
• Massimo Dutti
• Nautica
• Oasis London
• Pull & Bear
• Quiksilver
• Reebok
• Roxy
• Royal Sporting House
• Sperry
• Vans
• Stradivarius

Mindblown yet?