Reckitt Benckiser Inc.

Reckitt Benckiser plc
Type	Public LSE: RB
Founded	1814
Headquarters	Slough, England, UK
Key people	Adrian Bellamy (Chairman) Bart Becht (CEO) Colin Day (CFO)
Industry	Chemicals
Products	Cleaning products & healthcare
Revenue	£4.922 billion (Year to 31 December 2006)
Net income	£674 million (Year to 31 December 2006)
Employees	19,900 (2004)
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. Turnover for the year to 31 December 2006 was £4,922 million. Profits before tax were £874 million, and net profits were £674 million. 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.

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.

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.

Ownership

• JAB Investments, 15.4%
• Legal & General Investment Management, 3.2%
• MFS Investment Management, 3.1%

Competitors

• Clorox
• Colgate-Palmolive
• Henkel
• Procter & Gamble
• S. C. Johnson & Son
• Unilever

External links

• Official site
• Yahoo profile
• Senokot Constipation Advice Website
• Bonjela Teething Gel website
• Bonjela Mouth Ulcer website
• Benckiser Child Health Website

FTSE 100 companies of the United Kingdom

As of 24 September 2007. 3i · Alliance & Leicester · Anglo American · Antofagasta · Associated British Foods · AstraZeneca · Aviva · BAE Systems · BG Group · BHP Billiton · BP · BT Group · Barclays Bank · Barratt Developments · British Airways · British American Tobacco · British Energy Group · British Land Company · British Sky Broadcasting Group · Cable & Wireless · Cadbury Schweppes · Capita Group · Carnival · Carphone Warehouse · Centrica · Compass Group · DSG International · Daily Mail and General Trust · Diageo · Enterprise Inns · Experian · Friends Provident · GlaxoSmithKline · HBOS · HSBC · Hammerson · Home Retail Group · ICAP · ITV · Imperial Chemical Industries · Imperial Tobacco · InterContinental Hotels Group · International Power · INVESCO · Johnson Matthey · Kazakhmys · Kingfisher · Land Securities Group · Legal & General · Liberty International · Lloyds TSB · Lonmin · Man Group · Marks & Spencer · Mitchells & Butlers · Wm Morrison Supermarkets · National Grid · Next · Northern Rock · Old Mutual · Pearson · Persimmon · Prudential · Punch Taverns · Reckitt Benckiser · Reed Elsevier · Rentokil Initial · Resolution · Reuters Group · Rexam · Rio Tinto Group · Rolls-Royce Group · Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance · Royal Bank of Scotland Group · Royal Dutch Shell · SABMiller · Sage Group · J Sainsbury · Schroders · Scottish & Newcastle · Scottish & Southern Energy · Severn Trent · Shire Pharmaceuticals Group · Smith & Nephew · Smiths Group · Standard Chartered Bank · Standard Life · Tate & Lyle · Taylor Wimpey · Tesco · Tullow Oil · Unilever · United Utilities · Vedanta Resources · Vodafone · WPP Group · Whitbread · Wolseley · Xstrata · Yell Group

Donate to Wikimedia