comp began in US, sold 2 a foreign comp, bought back from comp here in US, & still operates 2day.?

Question

This question was posed by a TA in my MBA class. I get 2 extra points, as well as my teammates, at the end of the semester if it's answered correctly. I need the source of origin for any answers provided so that it may be verified. Any help is truly appreciated!!!

I'm sorry. The question is as follows: Name a company that began in the US, was sold to a foreign company, was then bought back from a company here in the US, AND is still in operation today.

Thanks again for your help!

Answer 1

Retail is a rich source of examples. The British company Marks & Spencer bought Brooks Brothers and Sainsbury bought Shaws Supermarkets. Both were sold back to US buyers and are still operating.

You might also try Smith and Wesson. It was brought by a British conglomerate called Tomkins and sold back about 5 years ago. Hanson is another British conglomerate that bought many US companies in the 80's and then sold them back or floated them off in the 90's.

The most recent example I can remember is Pacific Energy. It was bought by Scottish Power in the late 90's and then sold on to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway a couple of years ago.

All of these were widely reported in the press. You will be able to find details on Yahoo Finance, ft.com or wsj.com. The websites for most large companies have a section on the history of the company and you will also be able to find details there.

Answer 2

Nice that you can get extra points - but what's the question?