🠈 Energizer Holdings 🠊
Energizer Holdings and Edgewell Personal Care
Energizer Holdings and Edgewell Personal Care are holding companies for popular consumer brands. The companies have facilities around the planet. Energizer Holdings trades on the NYSE with the symbol ENR. Edgewell has the symbol: EPC.
The company was created as a spin off of Ralston Purina in 2000. The company expanded through acquisition. The spun off company split into two equities in .
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The video shows a scandalous event in which the Energerizer Bunny was arrested and charged with battery.
Energizer Bunny Arrested, Charged with Battery from Energizer Bunny on Vimeo.
Corporate History
Since the current company was started with a spin off, I will start the merger tree with that event.
- 2000: The conglomerate Ralston Purina had acquired numerous consumer brands through the years. Unhappy with battery sales, Ralston Purina spun The Everyready Company into a new company called Energizer Holdings which traced its roots to the creation of the Every Ready battery.
History of Every Ready
Every Ready is a pioneer in battery technology and portable electronics.
- 1899: American Electrical Novelty created the D-Battery. They then acquired rights to manufacture a portable lighting device called a "flashlight" which competed with the traditional wax candle.
- 1905: The company changed its name to The American Ever Ready Company..
- 1906: Ever Ready created the British Ever Ready Electrical Company.
- 1914: The British company became independent.
- 1914: National Carbon Company acquired The American Ever Ready Company. They shortened the brand name to Eveready.
- 1917: Union Carbide acquired National Carbon.
- 1957: employees (Lewis Urry, Paul Marsal and Karl Kordesch) invented the alkaline battery. But Eveready was slow in deploying the new batteries.
- 1980: Everready rebranded its alkaline batteries as Energizer Batteries.
- 1986: Ralston Purina Company acquired Union Carbide's battery division for $US1.4 billion. The subsidiary was called Eveready Battery Company, Inc..
- 1988: The company released the The Energerizer Bunny commercials (Duracell had featured a bunny in its British commercials).
- 1992: Eveready acquired the British Ever Ready Electrical Company from Hanson Trust.
- 1999: Eveready sold its rechargeable battery division.
- 2003: Energizer bought the Schick and Wilkinson Sword brands from Pfizer.
History of Wilkison Sword
- 1772: Henry Nock began producing guns in Shotley Bridge in County Durham, England.
- 1775: William Jover and John Green joined firm to create Nock, Jover & Co..
- 1779: British government contracted company to create bayonets.
- 1804: Nock's son-in-law James Wilkinson took over firm. It became James Wilkinson & Son when his son joined the firm.
- 1891: Company adopted the name Wilkinson Sword Company.
- 1903-1916: company entered the motorcycle market.
- 1916: Company exited the motorcycle market and made bayonets for World War I.
- 1962: Wilkinson Sword introduced stainless steel razor blades.
- 1973: Wilkinson Sword merged with British Match Corporation to create Wilkinson Match.
- 2007: Energizer acquired Playtex Products, Inc. for $1.9 billion. Playtex owned the brands Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat sunscreen.
Playtex History
- 1947: Company was founded as International Latex Corporation which had a division creating undergarments called Playtex.
- 196?: Company created Playtex branded tampons.
- 1973: Company introduced plastic tampon applicator. A line of super absorbent tampons caused "Toxic Shock Syndrome."
- 1975: Esmark acquired Playtex for $210 million.
- 1985: Beatrice Foods acquired Esmark with Revlon acquiring the cosmetic division.
- 1986: Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts acquired Beatrice Foods
- 1988: KKR split Playtex into two companies: Playtex Apparel Inc. and Playtex Products LLC. Both companies were controlled by Joel Smilow.
- 1990: Playtex Products acquired Maybelline, which makes cosmetics, for $300 million.
- 1991: Sara Lee Corporation acquired Playtex Apparel and 25% of Playtex Products.
- 2006: Sara Lee spun off its clothing sector into HanesBrands Inc.
- 1994: Playtex Products Inc held an IPO.
- 1995: Playtex acquired Banana Boat, which creates sunscreen, for $40.4 million and the assumption of $27.1 million in debt.
- 1995: Haas Wheat & Harrison Investment Partners acquired a 40% stake in Playtex Products for $180 million.
- 2007: Playtex Products acquired Tiki Hut Holding Co. Inc. which owned the Hawaiian Tropic brand for $83 million.
- 2009: Energizer bought the Edge and Skintimate shaving gels from S.C. Johnson & Son.
- 2010: Energizer acquired American Safety Razor for $301 million. ASR had fallen into bankruptcy. It had $244 million in debt. The creditors swapped the debt for equity then sold the company.
- 2012 Energizer Holdings withdrew 23 varieties of UltraMist by Banana Boat after reports claimed the spray could catch fire if exposed to open flame ... not good for a sunscreen.
- 2013: Energizer bought North American rights to the Stayfree, Carefree and o.b. brands from Johnson & Johnson for $185 million.
- 2015: Energizer Holdings split into to companies. Officially, the parent company spun off its battery division. The parent company changed its name to Edgewell Personal Care. The spun off company took the name Energizer Holdings. Edgewell had $2.6 billion in annual sales. Energizer had $1.9 billion at the time.
- 2016: Energizer acquired HandStands Holding Corporation from Trivest Partners. Handstands made fragrances for the home and auto.
- 2018: Energizer purchased Rayovac and Varta from Spectrum Brands for $2 billion.
References:
- STL Today - Energerize bit to buy American Safety Razor (Drawn 6/27/2019)
- Wikipedia - Energizer Holdings (Drawn 6/27/2019)