Anchor and other NZ brands for sale

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sir1963

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#321522 25-Aug-2025 08:58

Just like NZ banks were sold, I see Anchor etc has been sold to a French company.

Piks peanut butter has also been sold.

Yet more profits going overseas.

Why is it that NZ companies get to a certain stage, then they get sold to an overseas group ?

Banks
Rocket Lab
Kathmandu
Weta workshops
F&P

etc etc etc

HOW are we meant to become more prosperous as a nation when we give away our assets ?
And yes I mean give away, those same companies if in the USA would have been bought for 10-100 times the price.

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#3407147 25-Aug-2025 09:14

With NZ's small economy its any founder's dream to be bought out by Australia/America. I've gone through a sale of an NZ company that prided itself on being NZ owned, but as soon as we were bought out, we quickly found out from the new overseers that there were multiple other '100% NZ owned companies' that were also in talks and begging to be bought out. It's why i dont bother with NZ companies to put any passion into it and get burnt.

sir1963

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#3407152 25-Aug-2025 09:20

And its even MORE galling when these companies start pay large "Intellectual property" fees to tax havens so they then pay even less tax into NZ.

And as for overseas companies...
Apple computers has sold over 4 billion dollars worth here in NZ, they have thus far paid $0 in taxes because they are based in Australia and then they us IP fees to shunt the profits elsewhere.

SaltyNZ

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#3407163 25-Aug-2025 09:48

RocketLab was a bit different to the others. They needed US government payloads to get to profitability, and the US won't put classified satellites on a foreign company's launcher.

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Senecio

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#3407176 25-Aug-2025 10:01

It happens in every country in every industry. Any brand that grows to any level of prominance becomes prime pickings for a global multi national to acquire it.

Eg. Nestle, Mars, Coca Cola, Pepsi etc... will pick up any snack/beverage brand. Unilever, Procter & Gamble and others will pick up any household product brand.

On F&P, if it wasn't for the Haier acquisition I don't think F&P Appliances would exist today. It might be overseas owned but they still employ hundreds of Kiwis.

MikeB4

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#3407179 25-Aug-2025 10:16

I hope it does not mean the end of the Anchor lactose free milk.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

gzt

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#3407190 25-Aug-2025 10:58

I see Anchor etc has been sold to a French company.

NZ products have a decent following in part because of the clean green image. The thought of other countries selling products under the Anchor brand makes me feel a little queasy. Does this mean Fonterra now needs to develop a new brand for selling NZ product? or will Fonterra now pay a license fee to a French company?

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sir1963

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#3407191 25-Aug-2025 11:08

Senecio:

It happens in every country in every industry. Any brand that grows to any level of prominance becomes prime pickings for a global multi national to acquire it.

Eg. Nestle, Mars, Coca Cola, Pepsi etc... will pick up any snack/beverage brand. Unilever, Procter & Gamble and others will pick up any household product brand.

On F&P, if it wasn't for the Haier acquisition I don't think F&P Appliances would exist today. It might be overseas owned but they still employ hundreds of Kiwis.

The government spent more on yacht racing than it would have cost to bail out F&P.

They did not just buy the company, they bought all the IP as well.

geek3001

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#3407192 25-Aug-2025 11:11

MikeB4:

I hope it does not mean the end of the Anchor lactose free milk.

Me too. Somewhat annoyed that they have just recently scrapped the Trim low-fat lactose free so only now have Blue full(er) fat Lactose Free. I have a cholesterol issue and have been told to stick to low-fat dairy.

Senecio

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#3407195 25-Aug-2025 11:19

sir1963:

Senecio:

It happens in every country in every industry. Any brand that grows to any level of prominance becomes prime pickings for a global multi national to acquire it.

Eg. Nestle, Mars, Coca Cola, Pepsi etc... will pick up any snack/beverage brand. Unilever, Procter & Gamble and others will pick up any household product brand.

On F&P, if it wasn't for the Haier acquisition I don't think F&P Appliances would exist today. It might be overseas owned but they still employ hundreds of Kiwis.

The government spent more on yacht racing than it would have cost to bail out F&P.

They did not just buy the company, they bought all the IP as well.

The government could never be seen to bail out an appliance company. Helathcare maybe, but not the appliance side of F&P.

johno1234

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#3407197 25-Aug-2025 11:21

sir1963:

Just like NZ banks were sold, I see Anchor etc has been sold to a French company.

Piks peanut butter has also been sold.

Yet more profits going overseas.

Why is it that NZ companies get to a certain stage, then they get sold to an overseas group ?

Banks
Rocket Lab
Kathmandu
Weta workshops
F&P

etc etc etc

HOW are we meant to become more prosperous as a nation when we give away our assets ?
And yes I mean give away, those same companies if in the USA would have been bought for 10-100 times the price.

The shareholders didn't give away their asset. They sold it of their own free will and for a pretty penny. 10-100 times the price? Absolutely not. Business pricing is based on projected ROI and asset value. There's no reason for the shareholders to sell for less what the business is worth as they'd be economically better off to keep it.

To answer your question: you become more prosperous by re-investing that money into something that can do better.

As to USA or whatever - international businesses have global investors. The only thing that matters to them about domicile is how friendly it is to doing business - lack of red tape, low corporate tax, accessibility to markets and so on.

F&P was rescued by Haier from going broke. Rocket Lab was floated to bring in the capital required to grow from an NZ back yard company to a global player.

eracode

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#3407198 25-Aug-2025 11:22

gzt:
I see Anchor etc has been sold to a French company.

NZ products have a decent following in part because of the clean green image. The thought of other countries selling products under the Anchor brand makes me feel a little queasy. Does this mean Fonterra now needs to develop a new brand for selling NZ product? or will Fonterra now pay a license fee to a French company?

This is not something new.

Anchor butter sold in the UK is made in the UK using British milk. Since 2012 Arla Foods UK has had the license from Fonterra to produce and market Anchor in Britain.

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johno1234

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#3407202 25-Aug-2025 11:29

sir1963:

Senecio:

It happens in every country in every industry. Any brand that grows to any level of prominance becomes prime pickings for a global multi national to acquire it.

Eg. Nestle, Mars, Coca Cola, Pepsi etc... will pick up any snack/beverage brand. Unilever, Procter & Gamble and others will pick up any household product brand.

On F&P, if it wasn't for the Haier acquisition I don't think F&P Appliances would exist today. It might be overseas owned but they still employ hundreds of Kiwis.

The government spent more on yacht racing than it would have cost to bail out F&P.

They did not just buy the company, they bought all the IP as well.

And all the FPA engineers are still happily designing and prototyping in East Tamaki, about to move to a flash new campus in Penrose. FPA's supply chain is bubbling away as is their back end business and their customer fronting local support operation. If not for Haier that would all be long gone. The factories were a wonder to behold but they were from a bygone era where such things in NZ could be globally sustainable.

The government should not be investing in whiteware manufacturing or any other non nationally critical business that is going broke. It would still have the same problems but just end up losing unwilling Kiwi citizens' money instead of investors who were in there of their own free will.

muppet

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#3407207 25-Aug-2025 11:40

sir1963:

Why is it that NZ companies get to a certain stage, then they get sold to an overseas group ?

I fail to see how this is at all surprising?

If I had a company I'd built up over 10-15 years and someone came along and said to me "Here's a bonkers amount of money for you, I'll take the business and the running of it, employee issues, tax/IRD and all that away from you, you just get to keep this massive chunk of cash" - then I'd be taking the massive chunk of cash.

It's an even easier decision for shareholders... "So my 2000 stocks I bought for $2 you're offering to buy from me for $6 a share?? WHERE DO I SIGN?"

You only have to look on these very forums at people causing themselves all sorts of grief moving power/gas/insurance companies in pursuit of saving a few bucks.

The answer is money.

SaltyNZ

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#3407218 25-Aug-2025 11:49

johno1234:

To answer your question: you become more prosperous by re-investing that money into something that can do better.

Like flipping mouldy houses, amiright?

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johno1234

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#3407224 25-Aug-2025 12:09

SaltyNZ:

johno1234:

To answer your question: you become more prosperous by re-investing that money into something that can do better.

Like flipping mouldy houses, amiright?

No. You have missed the boat in all regards there.

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