Newell Brands

First Newell logo

The Newell Manufacturing Company was founded by Edgar Newell in Ogdensburg, New York, in 1903 as a manufacturer of metal curtain rods.

In 1908, the company boosted profits by investing in machines that produced curtain rods better and faster than other manufacturers.

The F. W. Woolworth retail chain became the first customer for Newell's bronze–plated curtain rods in 1916, making them the first Newell products to be distributed nationally. This marked the beginning of Newell's mass merchandising strategy. As the business grew, the company built a new 15,000-square-foot facility in Ogdensburg, New York.

The company purchased Barnwell Mfg. Co. of Freeport, Illinois in 1921, renaming it Western Newell Manufacturing Company. Freeport's access to railroad lines facilitated shipping products west. Kresge, the department store chain (later Kmart) was one of Western Newell's larger accounts.

During WWII, Western Newell converted factories to aid the war effort, earning the Army/Navy "E" award for excellence in wartime production.

Daniel C. Ferguson was named president in 1965, and developed a growth-by-acquisition strategy, intending to build a strong, multi-product company.

The Newell Company went public in 1972, opening on the NASDAQ at $28 per share. In 1974, they acquired EZ Paintr Corporation, then the world's largest maker of paint applicators. Newell was listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol NWL in 1979.

In 1979, Newell moved into its first corporate headquarters in a historic former bank building in Freeport, Illinois.

In 1983, the company entered the cookware market with the purchase of Mirro. In 1987, the company acquired Anchor Hocking Corporation, a specialty manufacturer of glassware, flatware, cookware and other products. The deal included the purchase of Amerock, a maker of cabinet hardware and window components.

In 1992, they acquired Sanford, a manufacturer and marketer of writing instruments, including the Sharpie and Expo brands. A year later, they acquired Levolor, a manufacturer and marketer of window treatments. They also entered the beauty and style category by acquiring Goody hair care accessories, including Ace men's grooming accessories.

In 1997, the company acquired Kirsch, a company involved with drapery hardware and custom window coverings.

In 1998, the company expanded in cookware with the purchase of Calphalon Corporation, a manufacturer of cookware marketed primarily to upscale retailers and department stores. The company also purchased Panex, a cookware maker in South America.

In 2016, Newell moved its corporate headquarters to Hoboken, New Jersey.[5]

Newell Rubbermaid logo used from 1999 to 2016

In 1999, Newell Company acquired the Rubbermaid and Graco brand names in a megamerger deal worth $5.8 billion, and later renamed the combined firm Newell Rubbermaid. This was an acquisition ten times larger than the last biggest acquisition Newell had made. This nearly doubled the company's size, and significantly increased Newell's portfolio of brands.

According to the November 10, 2004 Frontline documentary series' "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" episode, Newell's chance to buy the Rubbermaid brand resulted from the original Rubbermaid corporation's bankruptcy and fire sale-style liquidation of its remaining assets. The original Rubbermaid had risen to enormous market share and profits by making Wal-Mart the near-sole distributor of its products, shifting away from a previous, years-long policy of diversifying its product distribution by using multiple retailers. After it had become dependent upon Wal-Mart for almost all of its sales, Rubbermaid claimed that it needed to raise the retail price of its products by a small, single-digit percentage. Rubbermaid said that this price increase was needed to keep pace with operational costs and inflation, without sacrificing its legendary product quality.

Despite Rubbermaid's insistence that it couldn't afford to stay in business without it, Wal-Mart, citing its strict commitment to its "everyday low price" (EDLP) policy, and language in their contract with Rubbermaid allowing it to control pricing, refused Rubbermaid's request. Rubbermaid's business collapsed shortly thereafter. Most of its physical assets had to be sold off at discount prices to satisfy its creditors. Its biggest remaining asset was the Rubbermaid brand name.

The merger in 1999 was dubbed "merger from hell" by Businessweek magazine.[9] Newell shareholders lost 50% of their value in the two years following the closing and Rubbermaid shareholders lost 35%. In 2002, Newell wrote off $500 million in goodwill.

In 2000, Newell Rubbermaid acquired Gillette's stationery products business, including the Paper Mate, Parker, Waterman and Liquid Paper brands.

In 2002, they acquired American Tool Companies, adding the Irwin, Vise-Grip, and Marathon brands to their portfolio.

In 2003, Newell Rubbermaid acquired American Saw and Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of linear-edge power tool accessories, hand tools, and band saw blades marketed under the Lenox brand.

In 2005, the company acquired DYMO, designing, manufacturing, and marketing on-demand labeling solutions. The company expanded its presence in this market with the 2006 purchases of CardScan business card scanners and Mimio interactive whiteboard products along with the 2007 acquisition of postage company Endicia and its Picture-it-Postage brand. In 2005, Mark Ketchum was named president and CEO. The company added the slogan of "Brands That Matter" to their logo to emphasize the change.

In February 2008, Newell Rubbermaid acquired Aprica Kassai, a Japanese maker of strollers, car seats, and other children's products and Technical Concepts, in the away-from-home restroom market. The company created a global headquarters in the Atlanta metropolitan area to consolidate numerous brands and functions under one roof. In July 2011, Michael B. Polk joined the company as president and CEO.[10]

On July 21, 2014, Newell Rubbermaid announced a $308 million acquisition of Ignite Holdings, a Chicago-based maker of reusable water bottles and thermal mugs.[11] Ignite sold its products under two brand names: Avex and Contigo, also acquiring Ignite's proprietary closing mechanism, Autoseal.[12]

On October 5, 2015, Newell Rubbermaid announced that it would acquire Elmer's Products, the makers of Elmer's glue, Krazy Glue, and X-Acto, among other brands, for $600 million. The company also announced plans to divest its window covering brands Levolor and Kirsch.[13]

On December 14, 2015, Newell Rubbermaid announced that it would acquire Jarden for over $15 billion of cash and stock. The combined company will be known as Newell Brands, and 55% will be owned by Newell's shareholders. The combined company will have an estimated annual sales of $16 billion.[14][15]

In 2014 Newell Rubbermaid sold Ashland Hardware Systems, Bulldog and Shurline.

In 2017, Newell sold K2 Sports, Völkl, Diamond Match Company, Levolor and Kirsch.

In January 2018, Newell announced that it would sell off several businesses, mostly former Jarden units, in a refocusing effort.[16] In May 2018, Newell sold Waddington to Novolex.[17] In June 2018, Newell sold Rawlings to Seidler Equity Partners.[18] In August 2018, Newell sold Goody to ACON Investments.[19] In November 2018, Newell sold its Pure Fishing line of business to Sycamore Partners for $1.3 billion and Jostens to Platinum Equity for $1.3 billion.[20]

In June 2019, Newell Brands announced the sale of the United States Playing Card Company to Belgian card manufacturer Cartamundi Group.[21][22]

Notes