Which country do these World-Class Brands come from?

You may be familiar with world-class brands such as IKEA, ZARA, or LEGO, but did you know that these brands are not from the USA like many people understand?

This time, ACU PAY will take everyone to explore the famous brands that originated in European countries. Which countries are there and how much income do those brands earn? Let’s find out!

Mercedes-Benz, Germany

Mercedes-Benz is the world’s most valuable luxury car brand. It also produces Daimler’s German automobiles, including cars, buses and trucks. The company was founded in May 1926.

Mercedes-Benz has developed future commercial technologies such as battery development, charging stations in Thailand, and Electronic Vehicle development or EV.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG, a luxury car manufacturer from Germany, said on July 17, 2024, that the Earnings Before Interest and Taxes deduction (EBIT) increased 28% to EUR 20.5 billion (USD 21.8 billion) in 2022 from EUR 16 billion in 2021, while revenue increased 12% to EUR 1.5 hundred billion in 2022, from EUR 1.339 hundred billion in 2021, exceeding analysts’ expectations.

IKEA, Sweden

IKEA, a Swedish company, is the largest furniture store chain in the world with 882 million annual customers with annual revenue of up to 1 trillion baht.

IKEA was founded by Swedish Ingvar Kamprad about 80 years ago with the starting capital from small prize money given by his father for his good grades, till it was well-known in Sweden before starting his first overseas expansion in Norway. Then it expanded its branches throughout Europe, Asia, and many other countries later on.

Ikano Retail, an IKEA Franchise holder and importer of Swedish home goods and decorations in Thailand, Mexico, Singapore, and the Philippines, reported total revenue in the fiscal year of 2023 is THB 40.1 billion (EUR 1.08 billion). In Thailand, three IKEAS stores which are IKEA Bang Na, iKEA Bang Yai, and iKEA Phuket have achieved growth in sales. 4.4% and was able to close the fiscal year 2022, with total revenue of 10.22 billion baht.

ZARA, Spain

ZARA, a Spanish clothing and accessories brand, was founded by Amancio Ortega. In his childhood, he was very poor and had to work in a clothing store to support himself which sparked him to create his own clothing brand.

ZARA’s success strategy is to constantly explore trends and demand and produce fast fashion clothes in line with changing trends. The fast presentation of ZARA offers an average of 17 visits per person per year, more than competitor brands.

ZARA is now under the Inditex, which was established in 1985. On March 13, 2024, Inditex revealed that its net profit has increased by 30% to EUR 5.4 billion (USD5.9 billion) in fiscal year 2022(Feb 2023 to Jan 2024), driven by targeting high-income consumers, which has outstripped by far competitors such as H&M and has become a shield against Inditex due to the rapid growth of the Shein, a brand from China.

Nestle, Switzerland

same. Nestle was established in 1866 and started its business in Thailand 130 years ago with its first product, Sweetened condensed milk, “Milkmaid” brand. Then there are more imports and production in Thailand.

Nestle’s selling point that has always won the hearts of Thai people is its delicious taste and proper nutrition, making many of Nestlé’s products the number one sale in Thailand. Nestle has been in Thailand for 130 years and has a wide range of brands such as Nescafe, Nestea, Milo, Bear brand, powdered milk brand, Nestle’s confectionery, and ice cream brands.

In 2023, Nestle made a net profit rose by 20.9% which is equal to CHF 11.2 billion (approximately THB 454 billion).

LEGO, Denmark

LEGO Group is a private company based in Billund, Denmark. It is a family business run by Kirk Kristiansen, the founder of the company since 1932. It currently deals with the worldwide production, and distribution of LEGO games, toys, learning media, and theme park products in 10 countries.

In 2022, LEGO made an income of DKK 10.486 million (approximately THB 54 billion) With an investment in various developments, making the highest income in the toy industry and overtaking rival brands such as Bandai Namco and Mattel that have revenues of USD 75 billion (approximately THB 27 billion) and USD 54 million (approximately THB 199 billion), respectively.

Red Bull, Austria

Krating Daeng (Thai Red Bull) brands and Red Bull that have similar logos are different brands. Red Bull is from Thai Red Bull. An Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz, who visited Thailand in 1982, enjoyed the taste and invested with Red Bull owner, Chaleo Yoovidhya, to invite him to invest in the beverage business to penetrate the European Market to bring Red Bull to the world market.

The Red Bull brand has been around for over 30 years. What made Red Bull globally known is its branding in the Extreme sports market, such as Formula One and Extreme sports like Bicycle Motocross, Motocross, skiing, surfing, and football team rights acquisition as ‘FC Red Bull Salzburg’. Red Bull also owned about 15 sports teams in many countries from Europe, America, and Asia, till it became a major sponsor in the Extreme Games.

According to Bloomberg, Red Bull reported that sales of energy drinks reached EUR 10 billion for the first time in 2023, or around THB 387 billion, due to the increasing demand for energy drinks worldwide.

In addition, in 2022, Forbes magazine used to rank billionaires. Dietrich Mateschitz has EUR 27 billion (about THB 1.01 trillion) in assets and is considered to be Austria’s No. 1 billionaire and one of the world’s top billionaires.

References from

amarintv / positioningmag / thairath / finance.yahoo / infoquest / ikea / infoquest