10 Iconic American Brands Owned By Foreign Entities

The US has a number of products and places that have become synonymous with the American experience, but not all of them are necessarily made or managed in the country.

Here are 10 that are overseen by foreign entities.

Number 10. Ben and Jerry’s. It’s not just an ice cream, it’s a lifestyle. The Vermont-based founders spread their message of social responsibility along with their frozen treats, but since 2001 that task has been largely in the hands of Unilever, a British-Dutch corporation.

Number 9. Budweiser. Their trademark Clydesdales still live in the US, but control of Anheuser-Busch trotted overseas in 2008. The All American beer maker is now owned by Belgium’s InBev.

Number 8. The Chrysler Building. The skyscraper’s trademark Art Deco crown has been a defining element of the New York City skyline since the 1930s. While that hasn’t changed, the building’s ownership has. A 90 percent stake in the property was acquired by Abu Dhabi’s government in 2008.

Number 7. Trader Joe’s. The grocery chain has certainly figured out what American consumers want, yet it’s owned by a German company. Aldi Nord, just known here as Aldi foods, purchased the California-based food seller in the late 1970s.

Number 6. 7-Eleven. The famous purveyor of hot dogs, nachos, and gigantic sodas may have been born in Texas, but the company has called Japan home for some time. Since the1990s, the convenience chain has gone global and is now a mainstay in 16 countries.

Number 5. Holiday Inn. The UK’s Bass Brewing Company is best known for it’s beer, but it also runs a variety of pubs, restaurants, and hotels, including Holiday Inns. In 1989 they made a record offer that the executives of the Tennessee-based hotel couldn’t pass up.

Number 4. Sunglass Hut. A mall mainstay for about as long as anyone can remember, the eyewear retailer has been in the hands of an Italian company for a couple of decades. Prior to that, the base of operations was in sunny Florida.

Number 3. Gerber Baby Food. The Gerber Baby is American, as are a large number of the baby food’s consumers. Ownership of the company, however, has as of late been Swiss. Gerber was owned for a while by Switzerland’s drug-maker Novartis, who then sold it to Nestle.

Number 2. Burger King. The Brazilian-backed New York investment firm 3G Capital took over the reins of the fast food restaurant in 2010. They paid 3.26 billion dollars to do so.

Number 1. AMC Movie Theaters. Not long ago, the entertainment corporation sold its nearly 350 theaters to a conglomerate that already had close to a hundred. Now, China’s Dalian Wanda Group is the world’s largest theater-owning entity.