There are certain products and companies like Marmite or Tesco that every British person will recognise as a tried and true creation of the UK. There are plenty of brands out there that feel so quintessentially British but either started out as or became foreign-owned entities later on.
Paddy Power
You may be mistaken for thinking that, between all of the TV ads and media attention we see in the UK, Paddy Power is just an Irish-themed company with British roots. After all, you can find them on most high streets across British towns and cities. The company, operating both Paddy Power Sports and Paddy Power Casino, started out as a chain of bookmaker offices across Dublin and wider Ireland and was around for a solid 12 years before even getting to the UK.
Given that the company has now expanded even further with offices in Leeds and Malta, and that they joined with actual British company Betfair back in 2015, it only further adds to the confusion. The company is firmly headquartered in Dublin though and that remains the primary market, despite the overwhelming majority of items highlighted on their own Paddy Power News channel being for events outside Ireland such as the NFL or Premier League.
Sarson’s Vinegar
Ask any foreign visitor and they’ll confidently tell you that the most iconic British food out there is the traditional fish and chips. What fewer know is the absolute staple that goes alongside this dish in the form of Sarson’s Vinegar. The condiment is as much a British institution as the food it goes on but in reality, it hasn’t been British-owned in over half a century. Founded as a company in 1794, it was bought out first by Crosse and Blackwell, which was then in turn acquired by Nestlé then Premier Foods.
Currently, it sits in the hands of a Japanese vinegar maker Mizkan, a company which has almost as much vinegar pedigree as Sarson’s themselves, being only 10 years newer. As a note, the same company also currently owns Branston Pickle, a Crosse and Blackwell creation.
HSBC
Anyone who was ever curious enough to investigate will know this one, but the Hong Kong and Singapore Banking Corporation is about as British as the name suggests. They acquired the very British Midland Bank in the 1980s and renamed all the branches to match the brand about a decade later. HSBC UK currently exists as a branch that exclusively operates across the UK and because of the company structure, technically it is now a British company, although final ownership is still overseas.
For those unaware, this also includes two other well-known British names in the form of First Direct and HFC Bank, the latter of which is a consumer and retail finance bank. Most recently it also acquired Silicon Valley Bank UK which is a rare example of a foreign brand coming into British hands.
There are more out there that are more famous, such as Cadbury’s, Rolls Royce or Jaguar, but hopefully you found these more surprising ones interesting!
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
