The Gillette Company, Inc.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg Bloomberg January 19, 2017 11:24 AM ET Personal Products People Company Overview The Gillette Company, Inc. manufactures and sells shaving products for men. It offers razors and blades, disposable razors, and replacement blades; and pre and post shave products, such as shaving creams, gels, and foams, as well as skin care and aftershave products. The company also provides deodorants and antiperspirants, and body washes. It sells its products online. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Gillette Company, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of The Procter & Gamble Company. 1 Gillette Park Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President - Finance Age: 69 Vice President, President - Commercial Operations - North America and Group President of Global Business Management- Duracell and Braun Age: 62 Vice President, President of Global Value Chain and President - Global Business Management - Personal Care Age: 57 Senior Vice President and General Counsel Age: 67 Compensation as of Fiscal Year 2016.

The Gillette Company, Inc. Key Developments Gillette Upgrades MACH3 Razor Jul 25 16 Gillette announced upgrades to its original MACH3 razor in North America beginning this month. These changes mark the first product upgrade to the original MACH3 razor in almost a decade. This series of enhancements will initially include an advanced, proprietary blade technology, which allows the blades to cut through hair with greater ease, helping to provide a more comfortable shave. Subsequent upgrades will focus on the razor’s structure to further enhance the consumer experience. Energizer Sues Procter & Gamble over Breach of Contract and Trademark Infringement Feb 19 16 Energizer Brands LLC has filed suit against Procter & Gamble Co. for breach of contract and trademark infringement over the use of a pink bunny on its packaging. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, also names the Gillette Co. and Duracell U.S. Operations Inc. as defendants. Energizer claims that Duracell is infringing on the iconic Energizer Bunny trademark by using a pink toy bunny on its packaging.

In the suit, Energizer claims that Duracell has no trademark rights for the Duracell Bunny in the United States and that Duracell is violating an agreement between the two companies regarding the use of their respective pink bunnies. Energizer and Duracell entered into an agreement in 1992 that limited Duracell's use of the Duracell Bunny in the U.S. During the second half of 2015, Duracell batteries featuring the bunny image were being sold at brick-and-mortar retail locations including the Menards in Ballwin, as well as at various U.S.-based online retailers, according to the suit. Gillette Launches New Fusion ProShield with Lubrication Before and After the Blades to Shield against Irritation Nov 17 15 Gillette has made its best cartridge even better with a product scheduled to reach North American store shelves in late December with more global availability in January. The new Gillette Fusion® ProShield™ with lubrication before and after the blades shields against irritation during every shave – no matter how many shave strokes he takes. Guys have many grooming habits that they use to look their best.

But guys are often in auto-pilot mode when doing these things and other typical activities throughout the day. Some auto-pilot behaviors for guys may include puffing up their chest when feeling provoked, stroking their facial hair when thinking, sucking in their gut when seeing an attractive person and taking a surprising number of strokes every time they shave. When it comes to shaving on auto-pilot, guys often re-stroke over the same area without knowing it, wiping away the shave gel and continuing the shave without the needed protection. However, shaving over the same spot without lubrication can cause skin irritation, redness and bumps that keep guys from looking and feeling their best. That’s why Gillette developed Fusion ProShield, engineered to proactively shield against irritation, with a new ProShield Lubrication Bar before the blades in addition to the Lubrastrip after the blades, while still delivering incredible closeness. New Product Features: New ProShield Lubrication Bar before the blades, in addition to the Lubrastrip after the blades, shields from irritation.

With all of the Great Features of Gillette’s Most Advanced ProGlide Blade Cartridges: thinnest, finest blade edges with less tug and pull; Gillette’s most advanced blade coating; Blade Stability Bar maintains optimal blade spacing for exceptional comfort; MicroComb to help guide stubble to the blades; Precision Trimmer for accurate edging. On its FlexBall Technology Handle: FlexBall handle with innovative pivot to respond to facial contours for maximum contact. Two Varieties Available are Standard (Yellow) and Chill with Cooling Technology (Blue). And, ProShield blade cartridges fit on all Fusion and ProGlide handles. Limited edition pre-orders of the Gillette Fusion ProShield will be available for purchase at and at food, drug and mass merchandise stores throughout the United States starting on December 21, 2015. Gillette Fusion ProShield razors will be available for mass purchase through Gillette Shave Club and other retail stores starting in late January 2016 for a suggested retail price of $9.49 for the Standard and Chill varieties. Four pack replacement cartridges will also be available in Standard and Chill for a suggested retail price of $22.49.

Similar Private Companies By Industry Company Name FlashlightNews | Duracell Parent Company Announces Increased Sales in Quarter Tactical Lights Organic sales, which exclude the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange, increased eight percent during the quarter and seven percent for the fiscal year. Organic sales growth in both periods was well ahead of the company's post-Gillette organic growth target range of four to six percent and was broad-based across segments and geographies. Earnings per share increased six percent during the quarter to $0.55 and four percent during the fiscal year to $2.64. Excluding the impact of Gillette dilution, base business earnings per share increased an estimated 17% - 21% for the quarter and 12% - 13% for the fiscal year. "This marks the fifth consecutive year in which P&G has delivered topline growth at or above the company's targets," said Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive A.G. Lafley. "Demand for P&G's brands is strong. We're continuing to drive P&G's business with breakthrough innovations and excellent in-market execution.

This, combined with the great progress on integrating Gillette, positions P&G to deliver its growth objectives in fiscal year 2007 and beyond." Net sales for the quarter increased 25 percent to $17.84 billion. Organic sales increased eight percent, well ahead of the company's post-Gillette organic sales target range of four to six percent. Price increases taken across several segments added one percent to sales growth. In addition, a more premium product mix, driven by product initiatives and the impact of adding the Gillette business, more than offset the negative mix impact of disproportionate growth in developing regions and contributed one percent to sales growth. Unit volume for the April - June quarter increased 23 percent behind the addition of the Gillette business and strong six percent organic volume growth. Growth continued to be driven by successful product innovations and continued expansion in developing regions. Each business segment and every geographic region increased organic volume during the quarter, led by double- digit growth in developing regions. Net earnings during the quarter increased 36 percent to $1.90 billion. Net earnings increased behind strong organic sales growth, the addition of the Gillette business and significant margin improvements across most business segments.

Diluted net earnings per share increased six percent to $0.55, including an estimated $0.06 - $0.08 dilution impact from Gillette. The Gillette dilution estimate includes approximately $0.04 per share of one-time items. Gross margin improved by 150-basis points to 50.2% during the quarter. Commodity costs had a negative impact on gross margin of about 100 basis points. Organic volume growth, pricing and cost savings projects more than offset commodity cost increases. The mix benefit from adding the Gillette businesses contributed approximately 125-basis points. Business Segment Discussion for the Quarter (Duracell and Braun) Duracell and Braun net sales were $882 million during the quarter, in-line with the prior year period. Volume/mix increased sales by one percent during the quarter. Duracell market share increased by 1.2 points in North America during the quarter. Duracell unit volume was down, however, due to retailer inventory reductions in North America and strong competitive activity in Western Europe.

In Braun, growth in developing regions behind new product initiatives was offset by a decline in the shaver category in Japan and strong competitive activity in Western Europe. Pricing activity, primarily on Duracell, had a positive three percent impact on sales growth. However, an accrual adjustment for trade promotion in the base period had a negative four percent year-on-year impact. Net pricing had a negative one percent impact on sales during the quarter. Earnings before income taxes declined 35 percent during the quarter to $81 million, including purchase accounting adjustments that negatively impacted earnings before income taxes by six percent. Earnings decreased as cost savings were more than offset by higher commodity costs. Reported net earnings were $54 million during the quarter. Fiscal Year Discussion (Duracell and Braun) Sales for Duracell and Braun since the acquisition closed on October 1, 2005, were $2.92 billion, in-line with the comparable prior year period pro forma results including a negative two percent foreign exchange impact. In the Duracell business, market share growth in North America and the impacts of price increases to compensate for rising commodity costs were offset by strong competitive activity in Western Europe.

Braun sales increased in the low-single digits as double-digit growth in Central & Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa behind new product initiatives was largely offset by declines in Western Europe due to strong competitive activity. Earnings before income taxes increased nine percent to $400 million, including acquisition-related charges of $60 million that negatively impacted earnings by 16 percent in the period. The acquisition-related charges primarily represented increased amortization charges as a result of revaluing Gillette's intangible assets to fair market value and increased product costs for revaluing opening inventory balances at fair value. Earnings margin was favorably impacted by base period charges for severance and other exit costs associated with Gillette's Functional Excellence program, including charges related to the shutdown of a manufacturing facility, as well as current-year synergy savings from pre- and post-acquisition cost reduction efforts. Net earnings were $273 million since the acquisition closed on October 1, 2005.

Duracell to Acquire Garrity Industries | P&G News | Events, Multimedia, Public Relations Duracell to Acquire Garrity Industries News Release See All P&G Newsrooms P&G Global Newsrooms Duracell to Acquire Garrity Industries Category: Thursday, March 23, 2006 8:08 am EST Dateline: NYSE: PG "Through this acquisition, we see a tremendous opportunity to expand upon our successful battery portfolio and strengthen our position in a growing category that is closely related to our core business, providing new opportunities for growth" Duracell, part of The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), today announced that it is acquiring Garrity Industries, a private U.S.-based manufacturer and marketer of lighting products. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Known for its innovation, product quality and design, Garrity Industries offers some of the most technically advanced flashlights on the market and has strong retail distribution for its products. Garrity is a leading flashlight brand in North America.

"Through this acquisition, we see a tremendous opportunity to expand upon our successful battery portfolio and strengthen our position in a growing category that is closely related to our core business, providing new opportunities for growth" said Mark Leckie, President, Duracell and Braun, The Procter & Gamble Company. "With a proven ability to design and market high quality lighting products, Garrity will be a strong addition to our business." The Garrity product portfolio includes a broad range of flashlights. It was founded in 1967 by Chairman and CEO Paul Garrity. As a leader in the lighting category, Garrity will bring innovative products, an experienced management team and strong distribution to the Duracell business. "This partnership creates tremendous potential for both businesses," said Kevin Garrity, President of Garrity Industries. "By combining two leading companies in industries that are integral to one another, we'll be laying the groundwork for even greater success in the future." Duracell is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of alkaline batteries. Its brands hold the number one position in North America, China, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Robert W. Baird & Co.

served as financial advisor to Garrity Industries and Holland & Knight served as transaction counsel. About P&G Three billion times a day, P&G brands (NYSE: PG) touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella, Gillette(R), and Braun. The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands. P&G 2008 AR – Management Analysis: MD&A, GAAP, Gillette, MDO, GBS Download PDF Overview P&G’s business is focused on providing branded consumer goods products.

Our goal is to provide products of superior quality and value to improve the lives of the world’s consumers. We believe this will result in leadership sales, profits and value creation, allowing employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate to prosper. Our products are sold in more than 180 countries primarily through mass merchandisers, grocery stores, membership club stores and drug stores. We continue to expand our presence in other channels including department stores, salons and “high frequency stores,” the neighborhood stores which serve many consumers in developing markets. We have on-the-ground operations in approximately 80 countries. Our market environment is highly competitive, with global, regional and local competitors. In many of the markets and industry segments in which we sell our products, we compete against other branded products as well as retailers’ private-label brands. Additionally, many of the product segments in which we compete are differentiated by price (referred to as premium, mid-tier and value-tier products). Generally speaking, we compete with premium and mid-tier products and are well positioned in the industry segments and markets in which we operate — often holding a leadership or significant market share position. Organizational Structure Our organizational structure is comprised of three Global Business Units (GBUs) and a Global Operations group.

The Global Operations group consists of the Market Development Organization (MDO) and Global Business Services (GBS). Global Business Units Our three GBUs are Beauty, Health and Well-Being, and Household Care. The primary responsibility of the GBUs is to develop the overall strategy for our brands. They identify common consumer needs, develop new product innovations and upgrades, and build our brands through effective commercial innovations, marketing and sales. Under U.S. GAAP, the business units comprising the GBUs are aggregated into six reportable segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Snacks, Coffee and Pet Care; Fabric Care and Home Care; and Baby Care and Family Care. The following provides additional detail on our GBUs and reportable segments and the key product and brand composition within each. GBU Baby Wipes, Bath Tissue, Diapers, Facial Tissue, Paper Towels Bounty, Charmin, Pampers Beauty Beauty: We are a global market leader in beauty and compete in markets which comprise approximately $230 billion in global retail sales. Most of the beauty markets in which we compete are highly fragmented with a large number of global and local competitors.

We are the global market leader in hair care with over 20% of the global market share. In skin care, we compete primarily with the Olay brand, which is the top facial skin care retail brand in the world. We are also one of the global market leaders in prestige fragrances, primarily behind the Gucci, Hugo Boss and Dolce & Gabbana fragrance brands. Grooming: This segment consists of blades and razors, face and shave preparation products (such as shaving cream), electric hair removal devices and small household appliances. We hold leadership market share in the manual blades and razors market on a global basis and in almost all of the geographies in which we compete. Our global manual blades and razors market share is about 70%, primarily behind Mach3, Fusion, Venus and the Gillette franchise. Our electric hair removal devices and small home appliances are sold under the Braun brand in a number of markets around the world, where we compete against both global and regional competitors. Our primary focus in this area is in electric hair removal devices, such as electric razors and epilators, where we hold over 30% and over 50% of the male and female markets, respectively.

Health and Well-Being Health Care: We compete in oral care, feminine care, and pharmaceuticals and personal health. In oral care, there are several global competitors in the market, and we have the number two market share position at approximately 20% of the global market. We are the global market leader in the feminine care category with about one-third of the global market share. In pharmaceuticals and personal health, we have approximately one-third of the global bisphosphonates market for the treatment of osteoporosis under the Actonel brand. We are the market leader in nonprescription heartburn medications and in respiratory treatments behind Prilosec OTC and Vicks, respectively. Snacks, Coffee and Pet Care: In snacks, we compete against both global and local competitors and have a global market share of approximately 10% in the potato chips market behind our Pringles brand. Our coffee business competes almost solely in North America, where we hold a leadership position with approximately one-third of the U.S. market, primarily behind our Folgers brand. We have announced plans to separate our coffee business and merge it with The J. M.

Smucker Company in a transaction that is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2009. In pet care, we compete in several markets around the globe in the premium pet care segment, behind the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The vast majority of our pet care business is in North America, where we have about a 10% share of the market. Household Care Fabric Care and Home Care: This segment is comprised of a variety of fabric care products, including laundry cleaning products and fabric conditioners; home care products, including dish care, surface cleaners and air fresheners; and batteries. In fabric care, we generally have the number one or number two share position in the markets in which we compete and are the global market leader, with approximately one-third of the global market share. Our global home care market share is about 20% across the categories in which we compete. In batteries, we compete primarily behind the Duracell brand and have over 40% of the global alkaline battery market share. Baby Care and Family Care: In baby care, we compete primarily in diapers, training pants and baby wipes, with over one-third of the global market share.

We are the number one or number two baby care competitor in most of the key markets in which we compete, primarily behind Pampers, the Company’s largest brand, with annual net sales of approximately $8 billion. Our family care business is predominantly a North American business comprised primarily of the Bounty paper towel and Charmin toilet tissue brands, with U.S. market shares of over 40% and over 25%, respectively. Global Operations Market Development Organization Our MDO is responsible for developing go-to-market plans at the local level. The MDO includes dedicated retail customer, trade channel and country-specific teams. It is organized along seven geographic regions: North America, Western Europe, Northeast Asia, Central & Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America, ASEAN/Australia/India and Greater China. Throughout MD&A, we reference business results in developing markets, which we define as the aggregate of Central & Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America, ASEAN/Australia/India and Greater China, and developed markets, which are comprised of North America, Western Europe and Northeast Asia.

Global Business Services GBS provides technology, processes and standard data tools to enable the GBUs and the MDO to better understand the business and better serve consumers and customers. The GBS organization is responsible for providing world-class solutions at a low cost and with minimal capital investment. Strategic Focus P&G is focused on strategies that we believe are right for the long-term health of the Company and will increase returns for our shareholders. The Company’s annual financial targets are: • USATODAY.com - P&G will buy Gillette P&G will buy Gillette By Edward Iwata and Cliff Peale, USA TODAY In a $57 billion stock deal that will marry two consumer-product global giants, Procter & Gamble (PG) announced late Thursday that it will buy Gillette (G) in its largest-ever acquisition. A.G. Lafley, left, and James Kilts meet the press in New York Friday. Richard Drew, AP The merger, which must still be approved by regulators and shareholders, would create a company with revenue of more than $60 billion that would have even greater clout against mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) , which have been pressuring consumer product suppliers to keep costs low.

(Related: Ad agencies a little worried by a growing P&G ) Both companies' boards unanimously approved the deal. P&G Chairman and CEO A.G. Lafley flew to New York to discuss the deal with Wall Street analysts Friday, along with Gillette CEO Jim Kilts. Procter & Gamble over 1 year Gillette over 1 year They said the combination would bring together the marketing and distribution strengths of P&G, whose products are marketed largely to women, with Gillette's high-profit brands like razors, which are marketed to mainly men. As part of the cost-cutting that would follow the deal, executives said the merger would result in the elimination of about 6,000 jobs, or 4% of the combined work force of about 140,000. "We believe we can bring these companies together and create a juggernaut," Gillette's Kilts said at the presentation. Kilts will become vice chairman of P&G and join its board. The combined company will be headed by Lafley and stay in Cincinnati, where P&G employs more than 10,000 people.

Kilts, who has agreed to stay on for at least a year to lead the integration of the two companies, said the combination would give Gillette opportunities to sell its products in developing markets including China and East Europe. "I'm a great believer in scale," Kilts said. He said he would rather lead a consolidation in consumer products makers than "get stuck with the leftovers." The deal will add Gillette razors, Duracell batteries, Oral-B toothbrushes and Right Guard deodorant to P&G's current roster, which includes such consumer icons as Tide detergent, Crest toothpaste and Pampers diapers. COMPANIES AT A GLANCE EMPLOYEES: 29,400 in 14 countries BRANDS: Duracell, Braun, Oral B FOUNDED: In 1901 as the American Safety Razor Co. by King C. Gillette in a space above a fish shop on Boston's waterfront. Sources: Hoovers, AP research, P&G, Gillette, Yahoo Finance. "This combination of two best-in-class consumer products companies, at a time when they are both operating from a position of strength, is a unique opportunity," Lafley said early Friday.

The deal will create $14 billion to $16 billion in value from cost cuts and new revenue. P&G also will buy back $18 billion to $22 billion of P&G's common stock during the next 12 to 18 months. Gillette spokesman Eric Kraus said it's too early to say whether that company's Boston headquarters will be affected by the cuts, but he said Gillette's main manufacturing plant in South Boston will not. The company has about 4,000 Boston-area employees. P&G has embarked on a buying spree to strengthen its health, beauty and cosmetics businesses. In recent years, it paid $5.7 billion for German hair-care giant Wella and $5 billion for Clairol. The latest deal should spur the sale of P&G and Gillette products in China, Russia and Turkey. "It's spot on the strategy. Big, profitable, global brands," said Gary Stibel, president of the New England Consulting Group in Connecticut and a P&G consultant. Speculation ran up the price of Gillette stock Thursday as investors sensed a deal in the air. Gillette stock closed at $45.85, up 85 cents.

In the stock-swap deal, P&G will offer 0.975 a share for each Gillette share. That would be a nearly 20% premium to Gillette's market value after Thursday's close. P&G's stock price is likely to fall in trading today as investors digest the sale price. Over time, this will essentially result in a total financial impact on the company as if the deal were structured with approximately 60% stock and 40% cash. The Justice Department will review the merger but is unlikely to block it, says Christo Lassiter, who teaches antitrust law at the University of Cincinnati. Famed investor Warren Buffett's vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB) , owns 9.7% of Gillette, or about 96 million shares — a stake equivalent to 93.6 million P&G shares. Buffet, Gillette's largest single shareholder, called the combination "a dream deal" and said he plans to buy another 6.4 million P&G shares to reach 100 million by late this year when the sale is expected to close.

The merger is a bold move by Lafley, who led the company out of dark times in 2000. Moving too fast on a restructuring plan implemented by Chief Executive Durk Jager, the company posted several disappointing quarters and its stock lost more than half its value in 2000. Lafley replaced Jager in June 2000, slowed the pace of change and got the company back on solid footing. Its stock has risen nearly one-third since 2003, with its strong global brands powering consistent sales growth. Gillette has reported strong earnings since Kilts joined the company in 2001. It has moved to buoy its premium-line shaving and dental care products and sales of Duracell batteries. Contributing: Peale reported from Cincinnati for The Cincinnati Enquirer; Associated Press. Duracell Careers and Employment | Indeed.com Q&A About Duracell The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) boasts dozens of billion-dollar brands for home, hair, and health. The world's largest maker of consumer packaged goods divides its business into two global units: Beauty and Grooming and Household Care.

The company also makes pet food, water filters, and over-the-counter acid-reflux medication. About two dozen of – more... P&G's brands are billion-dollar sellers, including Always, Braun, Crest, Fusion, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Mach3, Olay, Oral-B, Pantene, and Wella in the beauty and grooming segment, as well as Bounty, Charmin, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Iams, Pampers, and Tide in the household care segment. P&G's hundreds of brands are available in more than 180 countries. Strategy The company has turned to its highest revenue-generating products for the most growth potential. Even though P&G holds market-leading positions in several product categories, the company has been focusing resources on its roughly 40 best-selling brands. Best sellers are those that generate more than $500 million annually and represent some 85% of sales; brands that fall below this metric are typically sold off. Along with continuing to grow its core brands and categories through innovation, P&G is looking to build its business by catering to unserved and underserved consumers.

The consumer products giant is following what it calls a purpose-driven business strategy: more consumers, more parts of the world, more completely. In addition, P&G -- for a fifth consecutive year -- invested about $2 billion in research and development in fiscal 2012. As part of its strategy, it's also focused on expanding high-margin businesses that are fast-growing and have potential for being global leaders. Mergers & Acquisitions P&G, which has slowed its M&A activity during the past year, makes select acquisitions to serve its strategy. To boost its largest business segment, the consumer products giant bought Sara Lee's European air-freshener business Ambi Pur in 2010 for €320 million ($470 million). Ambi Pur products include plug-in and stand-by air fresheners, aerosol sprays, and toilet cleaners. With Ambi Pur's presence in more than 80 countries, the deal helps P&G extend its global presence. P&G also acquired Natura Pet Products, a California-based maker of holistic and natural pet foods, in 2010.

Its pet foods, marketed under the Evo, Healthwise, Innova, and Karma brands, are primarily sold through specialty pet stores and veterinarian offices in the US and Canada. Adding Natura strengthens P&G's lineup of holistic and natural pet food products, as well as complements its Iams and Eukanuba brands. To further invest in its men's products portfolio established through its Gillette acquisition, P&G purchased The Art of Shaving, a high-end brand of men's shaving and skin care products, and Zirh men's skincare and shaving products. Divestitures Part of what fuels growth at P&G is the proceeds generated through the sale of existing non-core businesses. P&G existed its snacks business when it sold off its Pringles canned-chip brand to Kellogg in mid-2012 in a $2.7 billion all-cash deal.

(Earlier plans to sell the chip business to Diamond Foods fell through under the weight of an internal accounting scandal.) Other brands chopped from P&G's portfolio include: Max Factor (which P&G stopped selling in the US in 2010 to free up retail shelf space for more popular brands), Noxzema (which P&G sold to Alberto-Culver in 2008 but retained the business in parts of Western Europe), and Infusium 23 hair care (which it sold to Helen of Troy). (At the end of 2011 P&G also sold its PUR water purification products business to Helen of Troy.) P&G kicked its coffee habit in 2008 by selling the Folgers business to The J. M. Smucker Company in an all-stock transaction valued at more than $3 billion. The deal comprised P&G's entire coffee business, including Folgers and Millstone, as well as its licensing agreement with Dunkin' Donuts to distribute that company's coffee. P&G also sold off most of its 60-year old Zest soap brand in 2011 to High Ridge Brands, a portfolio company of private equity firm Brynwood Partners.

The deal included the rights to sell Zest bar soap and body wash in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. P&G retained the rights to sell Zest in the Philippines, the Middle East, and Latin America -- areas of the world the company is counting on for growth. (P&G has also retained the rights to the Olean brand and technology.) Geographic Reach P&G has concentrated on expanding overseas in the Philippines, the Middle East, and Latin America -- areas of the world the company is counting on for future growth and profits. Indeed, those areas, as well as Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, Greater China, India, and Australasia, are pegged as P&G's developing markets segment. By focusing on these markets, P&G hopes to offset the economic slowdown in North America, where the company generated 39% of its 2012 sales. Financial Analysis P&G has been logging increased revenues since 2010. Net sales rose some 3% in 2012 to $83.7 billion compared to 2011, while net income decreased $1 billion, or 9%, during the same period.

Cash inflow increased $1.67 billion to $4.43 billion in 2012 vs. 2011. The company attributes the increases to its push to raise prices for its products across the company. The move helped to offset the rising costs of commodities and currency devaluation. Price increases added 4% to net sales. P&G points to impairment charges, incremental restructuring charges, and gross margin contraction as reasons for the dip in 2012 net income, partially offset by net sales growth and the gain on the sale of Pringles. Impairment charges included $1.6 billion of before tax non-cash goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges associated with the Appliances and Salon Professional businesses. The increase in cash inflow is directly related to its $1.1 billion in investment activities in 2012 partially offset by the $2.9 billion in proceeds from the sale of the snack business. P&G's North America region contributed 39% of revenue followed by Western Europe with 19%. Specifically, the US generated some 35% of 2012 sales.

Within P&G's segments, its Baby Care and Family Care business saw sales increase 6% to $16.5 billion in 2012 on 1% volume growth; Fabric Care and Home Care sales increased 3% and Beauty sales rose 2%. Sales and Marketing Along with its vast stable of brands, P&G each year invests mightily in advertising its products. In 2012 the company spent $9.3 billion on advertising expenses. (Even during the recession, P&G in 2009 shelled out some $7.4 billion for ads.) The company supports its products through advertising, promotions, and other marketing vehicles as it works to build brand awareness. Since the über acquisition of near-equal behemoth Gillette, P&G has seen the marriage of the two giants as offering it increased and sustained bargaining power against the likes of Wal-Mart (which accounts for about 14% of P&G's annual sales) in the US and Aldi in Europe, as those two companies delve deeper into private labeling and cost-conscious positioning. The P&G-Gillette entity also flexes more muscle in media spending negotiations.

Operations Few people worldwide go a day without using at least one product made by P&G. Along with P&G's product depth and breadth has come a consistent tweaking of its portfolio in an effort to regularly boost profits and consistently deliver a return to shareholders. The company also pares down its workforce, when needed, to align with slowing sales and the rising costs of commodities. In early 2012 P&G announced plans to eliminate about 5,700 jobs -- about 10% of its nonmanufacturing workforce -- by mid-2013, hoping to realize $10 billion in savings by mid-2016. Aside from its primary business as the world's top consumer products company, P&G operates in sectors most consumers don't consider. To establish itself in the commercial cleaning niche, it operates the P&G Pro Line Lodging Program, an in-room cleaning and on-premise laundry (OPL) and daily-cleaner service. (P&G's Pro Line cleaning products -- which are strategically part of the services -- include several of its brands: Comet, Downy, Febreze, Mr.

Clean Magic Eraser, Spic and Span, Swiffer Dusters, and Tide.) P&G also operates a dozen Mr. Clean Car Wash and Oil Change locations (formerly Carnett's Car Washes) in Atlanta. P&G has built a formidable business partnering with pharmaceutical firms for years, as well, to tap into the industry's lucrative niches. P&G inked a deal to form a 51%-owned joint venture with leading generic drugs maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries to sell over-the-counter (OTC) drugs outside North America. P&G and Teva anticipate their alliance will generate up to $4 billion in sales by 2015. In the past, P&G has partnered with Novartis to give Enablex, a Swiss pill used to treat overactive bladder, a deeper and broader reach into the US. It also operates joint venture SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics with Inverness Medical Innovations to market at-home diagnostic products (including pregnancy tests and fertility monitors under the Clearblue, PERSONA, and Accu-Clear names). Additionally, P&G works with therapeutic drug development firm Curis to research and develop potential hair growth treatments leveraging Curis' Hedgehog agonist technology.

Company Background P&G hasn't always been on top. The company reached its lofty spot as the world's largest consumer products company in 2005 through one of its boldest moves -- buying Boston-based The Gillette Company for about $57 billion. Overnight, the ambitious deal gave P&G the golden ticket to leapfrog over former #1 supplier Unilever. P&G's purchase of Gillette added well-known complementary brands to its already vast portfolio, such as Gillette razors and blades, Duracell batteries, Oral-B oral care items, and Braun appliances. Because some of the two companies' brands competed (such as P&G's Old Spice and Crest vs. Gillette's Right Guard and Oral-B), P&G was required to divest certain assets to satisfy antitrust regulators. (It sold its SpinBrush business to Church & Dwight for $75 million and its 33-year-old Sure brand in 2006 to Najafi Companies' Innovative Brands.

Gillette also sold its Right Guard, Soft & Dri, and Dry Idea brands to Henkel's Dial Corporation.) Also, CBS in 2010 canceled P&G's last on-air soap opera As The World Turns (ATWT) after 54 years on television. The final episode of ATWT aired on September 17, 2010. Previously, through its partnership with CBS, P&G produced Guiding Light (which began as a radio program in 1937) until September 2009. Television soap operas, which are relatively expensive to produce, are a dying breed as viewership declines and networks favor cheaper game, reality, and TV talk shows. Both ATWT and Guiding Light were made by P&G subsidiary TeleNext Media, which was established in 1933 to produce programming to promote its soap and laundry detergents. – less Reviews

Question: As at 2008 which corporation owns the brands Duracell, Braun and Gillette?
Answer: Procter & Gamble