Some of the world’s most famous companies are also a lot older than you might realise, and in some cases even pre-date the invention of the product they’re most famous for today. Click or scroll through to take a trip back through time. All dollar values in US dollars.
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Kitchenaid – 1919
Having invented the first stand mixer in 1919, Kitchenaid is the market leader today. The company then expanded into other kitchen products including dishwashers, refrigerators and blenders. Kitchenaid continues to manufacture the mixers from its Greenville, Ohio factory where up to 7,000 units are made daily. The iconic brand is today part of the Whirlpool company.
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IBM – 1915
Although a newer company, IBM celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015. Short for International Business Machines, its predecessor Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company was founded in 1911 by the financier Charles Ranlett Flint. The company almost failed in the 1980s after failing to keep up with industry innovations. Once chief executive officer Louis V Gerstner was appointed in the 1990s, IBM rose alongside the internet.
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Rolls-Royce – 1906
One of the most world-renowned car manufacturers has been on the move since 1906. Established by motor car dealer Charles Stewart Rolls and mechanical business owner Sir Frederick Henry Royce, Rolls-Royce has grown to become a world-famous prestige company. The pair began producing cars (largely designed by Royce) in 1908, after opening a factory in Derby, central England. In the early 1930s, Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley and has become one of the most famous British luxury car producers.
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Crayola – 1903
The first box of Crayola crayons had eight colours and sold for five cents in 1903. Now the range of colours is extensive with the company having expanded into coloured pencils and other stationery products. Created by Edwin Binney and C Harold Smith, the company is now a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards and hasn’t moved far from its original production centre in Pennsylvania. It employs more than 1,300 people globally.
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Gibson Brands – 1902
Just as famous as its celebrity and musician customers, the Gibson company began 118 years ago in Michigan. Even before the rock ‘n’ roll era, Orville Gibson started producing the genre’s signature item, the electric guitar. Design of the world’s new guitar was complete by 1936 and the first one sold that same year. Famous customers include Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. Despite the success of its instruments, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2018, mainly due to its unprofitable Gibson Innovations division, but came out the other side that September after restructuring its debt.
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Levi’s – 1873
By far the world’s favourite denim brand, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis made the first pair of blue jeans in 1873. At the time, Strauss ran a wholesale dry goods store where Davis had bought cloth from to make strong trousers using rivets. They were a hit, Davis needed a business partner and found one in Strauss. The now publicly-owned American apparel company has over 3,000 stores and concessions worldwide and made revenues of $5.8 billion (£4.4bn) in 2019.
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Macy’s – 1858
The US department store chain was established by former sailor Rowland Hussey Macy in 1858 as a small fancy dry goods store, called R.H. Macy & Co, on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Today it’s one of the largest retailers in the world with more than 800 stores across the Macy’s, Bloomingdales and BlueMercury brands. That said, it hasn’t been immune to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and dozens of Macy’s stores closed in 2020.
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Burberry – 1856
Hailing from Britain, Burberry was opened in 1856 by 21-year-old dressmaker Thomas Burberry. The first store was on Winchester Street in Basingstoke, southern England, before the company moved to London’s Haymarket at the end of the 19th century. There are now more than 420 stores in over 50 countries. Burberry’s iconic tartan pattern has become one of the world’s most-copied trademarks.
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Bally – 1851
Established in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother, the Swiss fashion brand is renowned for its shoes and accessories. In 1916 Bally was one of the first global multinationals with the company employing more than 7,000 people worldwide who help produce about four million pairs of shoes yearly. Austrian company Labelux Group took over Bally in 2008.
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Cartier – 1847
Founded in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, in 1874 Louis-François’ son Alfred took over the jewellery business and along with his sons was credited with turning Cartier into a worldwide brand. Today it’s owned by luxury goods conglomerate Richemont.
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Hermès – 1837
In 1837 the Hermès Fashion House opened its doors as a harness-making shop in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris. Founder Thierry Hermès handcrafted leather horse harnesses that he sold to European royalty and dignitaries. Hermès introduced its first handbags in 1922 and launched women’s fashion apparel in 1929. In the 1970s Hermès went international, opening shops in Europe, America and Japan.
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Tiffany & Co – 1837
The iconic American jewellery and luxury brand was born in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B Young. Established in New York, Tiffany first gained international recognition in 1867 at the Paris World’s Fair where it won the grand prize for silver craftsmanship. The brand is now one of America’s greatest institutions.
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Woolrich – 1830
The oldest manufacturer of woollen coats, jackets and outerwear was founded in America in 1830 by John Rich and Daniel McCormik. Rich started the brand after emigrating from England. Once arriving in America he began travelling to local lumber camps and farms to sell woollen fabrics, socks, coverlets and yarn. Woolrich didn’t become a global brand until 1989 when it partnered with WP Lavori to expand into Italy and eventually throughout Europe.
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Guerlain – 1828
The French perfume brand was established by Pierre François Pascal Guerlain in Paris in 1828. Guerlain was a master perfumer, creating fragrances for the rich and famous including Napoléon III and Queen Victoria. The House of Guerlain was owned and managed by members of the Guerlain family from 1828 to 1994 before it was acquired by the LVMH group.
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Lord & Taylor – 1826
The New York luxury brand is the oldest department store in North America and was established in 1826 by Samuel Lord and George Washington Taylor. The company started by selling Cashmere scarves and hosiery. Since the beginning, Lord & Taylor’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue was the first store to have an elevator installed and offer personal shopping services. Today the business is part of Hudson’s Bay Company.
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Clarks – 1825
The British shoe brand was founded in 1825 by James and Cyrus Clark when they made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts. They went on to design military boots during World War II. Today Clarks sells more than 50 million pairs of its 22,000 styles of shoes a year in over 35 countries. Clarks boots have been featured in TV shows including Breaking Bad and How I Met Your Mother.
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Brooks Brothers – 1817
The brainchild of Henry Sands Brooke was born in 1818 and is the oldest-known and registered company producing clothes for men. It was the first ready-to-wear fashion emporium in America and since then has shaped fashion across the nation. Its headquarters is on Madison Avenue in New York City and now features clothing for women. Today it’s part of Italian billionaire Claudio Del Vecchio’s business empire.
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Colgate Palmolive – 1806
The company responsible for shining white smiles around the world was established in 1806 on Dutch Street in New York City. William Colgate began the company as a starch, soap and candle business before merging it with Palmolive. It is now a global consumer products company that offers oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition.
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Lloyds Banking Group – 1765
Iron producer and dealer Sampson Lloyd and button maker John Taylor founded Lloyds in 1765 after setting up a private banking business in Birmingham. It wasn’t until around 100 years later that the first branch office opened its doors in Oldbury, central England, before expanding throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Lloyds is the largest retail bank in the UK and now includes Bank of Scotland and Halifax.
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Sotheby’s – 1744
English bookseller Samuel Baker started the world’s largest publicly-traded auction house when he held his first auction in 1744. The auction featured 457 books that were previously owned by Sir John Stanley, the former chief secretary for Ireland. Baker sold the books for about $1,020 (£825) in today’s money. Sotheby’s Holdings Inc is the holding company.
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Coutts – 1692
Set up by goldsmith and banker John Campbell in London in 1692, Coutts is recognised today by the three crowns in its logo. Early on in the business, Campbell supplied jewellery and offered a banking service where he’d discount bills, allow loans and take deposits. The name Coutts was first used in 1755 when James Coutts, a Scottish banker, was taken into partnership.
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Barclays – 1690
Barclays bank was founded in 1690 by John Freame and Thomas Gould after they started trading as goldsmith bankers on London’s Lombard Street. Once Freame retired in 1736, his son-in-law James Barclay became a partner in the bank. In 1958 Barclays became the first UK bank to appoint a female branch manager.
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Royal Delft – 1653
Originally known as De Porceleyne Fles (The Porcelain Jar), Royal Delft was started by David Anthonisz in the city of Delft in the Netherlands in 1653. Despite growing to about 32 factories, by the 19th century the company was almost non-existent until engineer Joost Thooft bought the only remaining factory. Thooft was determined to restore the old tradition of producing hand-painted Delft Blue and, together with partner Abel Labouchere, he succeeded.
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Fiskars – 1649
Starting out as an ironworks company in Finland in 1649, Fiskars soon became the popular kitchenware, knife and scissor company it’s known as today. Over its lifespan the company has been involved in several industries including farming tools, steam engines and other agricultural tools. The famous colour, Fiskars Orange, was officially registered as a trademark in Finland in 2003 and in the US in 2007.
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Cambridge University Press – 1534
King Henry VIII allowed Cambridge University to print “all manner of books” in 1534, with the first book published in 1584, making it the oldest publishing house in the world. Its reputation grew in Europe over the next four centuries by publishing academic texts, poetry, school books, prayer books and bibles. Cambridge University Press became an international publisher in the 20th century and has published over 50,000 titles.
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Beretta – 1526
During the Renaissance era the Italian city of Gardone was renowned as the hub for high-quality gun making. Maestro Bartolomeo Beretta was a master gun barrel maker living in the city at the time when he established the brand in 1526. Arsenal of Venice paid him to make 185 arquebus barrels, making the Beretta company the oldest manufacturing company in the world.
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Rathbornes – 1488
Founded in 1488 in Dublin, Ireland, Rathbornes’ candle business was established long before electricity was invented. Founded by John G Rathborne, the company held the contract for all the street lighting fittings in Dublin during the 19th century. Despite there no longer being a need for candles to light the streets, Rathbornes’ success today comes from sales of candles for the home. The world’s oldest candle company, it’s still based in Dublin today.
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