Arnott's
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
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Biscuit makers
Established in 1865 in Newcastle, NSW. Became a wholly-owned subsidiary of US food giant Campbell Soup Company in 1997. 99 percent of their products sold in Australia are manufactured in Australia. In 2019 Campbell Soup Co sold its international business arm to private equity firm KKR, which included Campbell Soups in Australia and Arnotts Biscuits. In 2021 KKR-backed Arnott's acquired Kiwi biscuit maker 180 Degrees, Freedom Foods' cereals and snacks division, and a 75% stake in Australian cereal and snacking manufacturer Diver Foods.
Company Ownership
Arnott's Biscuits Ltd | AUS | website | ||||
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP ![]() owns 100% of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd |
USA | website | ||||
Private equity firm One of the world's largest private equity firms. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010. Acquired Unilever's spreads business in 2017 for 6.83bn euros. Acquired Campbell Soup Co's international operations (including Arnott's) in 2019. |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Arnott's Biscuits Ltd | ||||
This company received the highest packaging performance level of 5 (Beyond Best Practice) in its 2022 APCO Annual Report. Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice).
Source: APCO (2022) |
Greenpeace's Reenergise campaign ranks Australia's biggest electricity using companies on their commitments and actions regarding renewable energy use. This company has: not committed to powering their operations by 100% renewable electricity by 2030; not signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy power from a wind or solar project; not invested in on-site solar.
Source: Greenpeace (2021) |
The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2021 assesses 227 companies on the actions companies have taken to ensure their own palm oil supply chain is sustainable and free of deforestation, natural ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuse. This company failed to respond to WWF's requests for information.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard (2021)
Named and shamed in the 2014 CHOICE Shonky Awards. Arnott's peanut butter flavoured Tim Tam earned an award, because, according to Choice, it contained no peanuts (with paprika being a surprising inclusion) and because the pack contained fewer biscuits and weighed 35g less, despite maintaining the same price and package size.
Source: Choice (2014)
Named and shamed in the 2015 CHOICE Shonky Awards for the "school canteen - meets amber guidelines" claim emblazoned on packs of Arnott's Tiny Teddies. Arnott's did the approving all on its own, despite the fact that Tiny Teddies wouldn't pass the National Healthy School Canteen guidelines.
Source: Choice (2015)
In 2015 the ACCC ordered this company to pay penalties totalling $51,000 for alleged misleading claims about the saturated fat content of its Shapes Light & Crispy product. Arnott's also provided a court enforceable undertaking to the ACCC.
Source: ACCC (2015)
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's products are palm oil free, or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). For more details, follow the link to see Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia's list of products which manufacturers have told them are palm oil free or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil.
Source: BOS Australia (2020)
Arnott's announced on 29 Oct 2010 that it will source ethical cocoa that has not been made with the use of child labour for all of its chocolate-based products, including the iconic Tim Tam biscuit, after being the target of a public campaign by World Vision earlier in the year.
Source: World Vision Australia (2010)
This company is a signatory to the Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative (RCMI), which is managed by the Australian Food & Grocery Council and covers products found in retail outlets. Companies that have signed up to the initiative commit to: only advertising healthier choices to children and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through good diet and physical activity; not paying for or seeking product placement television programs, editorial content or interactive games aimed at children, unless the product is a healthier choice; not advertising and marketing to children in Australian schools unless they are asked to by those schools.
Source: AANA (2023)
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.
Source: RSPCA Australia (2020)
This company has Corporate Social Responsibility claims on its website in the areas of limiting emissions to the water, air and land, and the efficient use of resources. Also available are policy statements regarding sustainable palm oil and sustainable cocoa.
Source: company website (2020)
The Arnott's Foundation is the charitable arm of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd. Supported projects include Camp Quality, Foodbank, Driver Reviver and Fairy Sparkle.
Source: company website (2020) |
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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP | ||||
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021) |
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This financial institution received a score of 0%.
Source: Forest 500 (2021)
In 2005, Toys "R" Us was purchased in a US$6.6 billion leveraged buyout by private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado Realty Trust. While Toys "R" Us' revenues remained steady over the next 13 years - US$11.1 billion in sales in 2017 - the retailer was saddled with debt it couldn't repay. By 2007, 97% of the company's operating income was consumed by interest, which left the company unable to upgrade technology or evolve its business model. The heavy debt load eventually led Toy "R" Us to file for bankruptcy in 2018. The company liquidated in June of 2018 and closed their remaining 800 stores. Over 33,000 employees of the company lost their jobs and their severance payments in bankruptcy court. The PE companies controlling the Toys "R" Us bankruptcy refused buyers that would have saved thousands of jobs and instead chose liquidation to maximize the financial extraction. The private equity firms that owned Toys "R" Us collected more than $470 million in fees and interest from the retailer over the ownership period, while a total of 64,000 jobs were lost.
Source: United 4 Respect (2019)
In 2014, this company, together with other private equity firms Blackstone and TPG, agreed to pay US$325m to settle a lawsuit that accused seven private equity groups of conspiring to fix the prices of some of the world's biggest leveraged buyouts.
Source: Financial Times (2014)
On 29 June 2015 the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission charged this company with misallocating more than US$17m in 'broken deal' expenses to its flagship private equity funds in breach of its fiduciary duty. KKR agreed to pay nearly US$30m to settle the charges, including a penalty of US$10m.
Source: US SEC (2015)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 26/100 in the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 716th of 951 companies, and 30th of 34 Capital Markets companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023) |
This investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals how KKR turns a blind eye to the human impact of the massive production outsourced by Dollar General and other companies in its portfolio. CLW Executive Director Li Qiang states that DG has 'the worst labor performance in China of all major US retailers'. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2009)
This company received a score of 10/100 in the Newsweek Green Rankings 2016, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2016)
This company has environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims on its website.
Source: company website (2016)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2016) |
Company Details
Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
Founded | 1865 |
Revenue | 1 billion AUD (2019) |
Employees | 3,300 (2019) |
Aus Manufacturing | Yes |
Subsidiaries | Good Food Partners Pty Ltd (75% owned) ![]() Cereal and snacks manufacturer Previously Diver Foods. This Arnott's business unit was created in 2021 from KKR's bolt-on acquisitions of Diver Foods and Freedom Foods. One of Australia's largest manufacturers of cereal and snacking products. Diver Foods founder Chris Diver owns a 25% stake. Campbell Australasia Pty Ltd ![]() Soups, stocks, sauces and juices Campbells have a manufacturing facility in Shepparton, Victoria. In 2019 Campbell Soup Co sold its international business arm to private equity firm KKR, which included Campbell Soups in Australia and Arnotts Biscuits. |
Contact Details
Address | 24 George St, North Strathfield, NSW, 2137, Australia |
Phone | 02 8767 7000 |
Freecall | 1800 24 24 92 |
consumers@arnotts.com | |
Website | www.arnotts.com |
Products / Brands
Arnott's
180 Degrees Biscuits/Crackers Arnotts Biscuits/Crackers Arnotts Cakes Shapes Biscuits/Crackers Tim Tams Biscuits/Crackers Wagon Wheels Biscuits/Crackers |
Good Food Partners (75% owned)
Arnold's Farm Muesli & Oats Freedom Foods Health Foods Freedom Foods Cereal Freedom Foods Muesli & Oats Heritage Mill Muesli & Oats Messy Monkeys Health Bars |
Messy Monkeys Popcorn Messy Monkeys Health Foods Messy Monkeys Cereal Sam's Pantry Muesli Bars Sunsol Muesli & Oats |
Campbell Australia
Campbell's Pasta Sauce Campbell's Stock Campbell's Soup Fray Bentos Canned Meat/Meals Fruits & Roots Juice & Fruit Drinks V8 Juice & Fruit Drinks |