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- Sector: Clothing

Before the Nike “swoosh” became synonymous with athletic sneakers, Converse’s star logo was king of the court—Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both wore Converses during their NBA careers. But in 2003, Nike, which had long surpassed Converse in sales and popularity, acquired the former supplier for Johnson and Bird . Nike, which also owned Cole Haan at the time, added some retro chic to its line, particularly with the iconic Converse Chuck Taylor shoe.

- Sector: Clothing

In the early 1990s, Gap explored creating a chain of retail stores offering more affordable merchandise. In 1994, these “Gap Warehouses” were rechristened Old Navy. For the next 25 years, Old Navy served as a stronghold in the Gap chain, so much so that earlier this year, into a publicly listed company.

- Sector: Clothing

During Amazon’s ascent to becoming an online retail giant, the company notably purchased Zappos in 2009 for a whopping total estimated at between and . Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh said led to the deal.

- Sector: Clothing

In 2017, in a deal valued at $2.4 billion. Tapestry, which also operates Stuart Weitzman, has not had the expected success with Kate Spade, though. in Kate Spade items and discounts by competing brands have been attributed to stagnancy.

- Sector: Clothing

Zara's origin began in Spain in 1975, under the guidance of Amancio Ortega. In 2001, Ortega hit the market with an initial public offering (IPO) for Inditex, with Zara serving as the flagship store. In 2018, Inditex recorded , which included merchandise from other stores like Pull&Bear and Bershka.

- Sector: Beer

Blue Moon founder Keith Villa studied brewing in Belgium. He returned to the United States in 1995 to deploy the tricks of the trade learned abroad at a stand at Coors Field in Denver. Baseball fans became enamored of the beer and, backed by Coors, Villa started a microbrewery to sell what became known as Blue Moon.

- Sector: Beer

When companies Guinness and Grand Metropolitan merged in 1997, they christened their new venture “Diageo.” According to AdAge, the name is a portmanteau of the Latin word for “day” and the Greek word for “world.” Today, Diageo also owns whiskeys like Johnnie Walker and rums like Captain Morgan.

- Sector: Beer

In 1984, Jim Koch started the Boston Beer Co. His first product was Samuel Adams Boston Lager, named after the famous Boston colonial. Earlier this year, Boston Beer Co. .

- Sector: Cars

General Motors acquired Cadillac for in 1909. Over the next century, Cadillac remained a pillar of GM’s business, becoming a status symbol and iconic piece of Americana.

- Sector: Cars

Toyota launched its first cars under its new Lexus line in 1989—the LS 400 and ES 250 sedans. Over the years, according to Sharon R. King of The New York Times, and maintained Lexus' high-quality aura by not diluting the brand "with low-priced, less luxurious vehicles to attract buyers." Today, Toyota also holds stakes in Mazda and just renewed a partnership with Subaru.

- Sector: Cars

For the costly at the time price of , Ford purchased Lincoln in 1922, helping Ford enter the luxury automobile market in a big way. Today, Lincoln remains one of Ford’s high-end staples, with an planned for future release.

- Sector: Coffee

Two breakfast giants joined in 2008, when J.M. Smucker completed a . Smucker, known for its jams, already owned Jif peanut butter and Crisco. As Smucker has grown, the company , where it has encountered less smooth sailing.

- Sector: Coffee

Kraft was sold to Philip Morris for almost , creating one of the biggest mergers in American food history. Maxwell House moved under the Kraft umbrella, but the coffee maker soon may be looking for a new home; earlier this year, reports surfaced that from its portfolio.

- Sector: Dining

Berkshire Hathaway, owned by mogul Warren Buffett, in 1997. As 2019 draws to a close, Berkshire Hathaway reports more than $128 billion in cash. Geico and Fruit of the Loom are among Berkshire Hathaway’s other numerous holdings.

- Sector: Dining

In 1986, PepsiCo purchased KFC, after previously buying Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. In 1997, PepsiCo spun off its fast-food restaurants into a publicly traded company, birthing Yum! Brands.

- Sector: Dining

The Michelin brothers founded a tire company in 1889. Eleven years later, in an effort to “encourage more road travel” Michelin published its first guide to restaurants, mechanics, and hotels, and provided other helpful information.

- Sector: Dining

Restaurants Brands International (RBI), owner of Burger King, got into the chicken business in 2017, . RBI, which also owns Tim Hortons, saw an uptick in popularity this year when created a craze.

- Sector: Entertainment

In 2018, AT&T forked out to acquire Time Warner, the parent company of DC comic books. However, under the WarnerMedia wing, industry watchers about Batman and his colleagues’ future. While comic book films have dominated Hollywood in recent years, remains to be seen.

- Sector: Entertainment

In 2009, Disney caught the media world’s attention when it bought Marvel for $4 billion. Ten years later, that at the global box office, thanks to moviegoers’ appetites for Iron Man, Spider-Man, and other superheroes.

- Sector: Grocery

in 2014, to the tune of about $9.4 billion. Albertsons, which also operates ACME, Super Saver, and Vons, had to deal with complaints from Safeway bondholders, but last year was able to .

- Sector: Grocery

Walmart founder Sam Walton opened his first Sam’s Club in 1983. Like Costco, Sam’s Club is a membership warehouse store and has locations around the world. But last year, Walmart .

- Sector: Grocery

For $13.4 billion, Amazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017. The move likely was intended to make Amazon a major player in the online food shopping market, but in the first year of the partnership.

- Sector: Ice cream

Unilever made a fortune selling personal care products like Dove soap, but as any kid will tell you, eating a bar of soap isn’t all that appealing. A few scoops of sweet, savory ice cream, that’s another story. In 2001, , a popular but struggling niche dessert brand at the time, and helped increase profits while keeping Ben & Jerry’s at heart.

- Sector: Ice cream

In 2001, for the rights to Häagen-Dazs in the United States. (General Mills continued to operate Häagen-Dazs outside the United States). The move was made in part so Nestlé could , which bought the rights to Ben & Jerry’s in 2001.

- Sector: Juice drinks

Kool-Aid's history under Kraft Heinz includes more steps than it takes to make Kool-Aid's sugary drinks. First, Edward Perkins invented Kool-Aid (then called Kool-Ade) in 1927. Decades later, Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods. In 1989, General merged with Kraft. Recently, to adapt to a climate that advocates for more healthy drinks for children.

- Sector: Juice drinks

In 1960, Coca-Cola acquired Minute Maid, which the company refers to as a “” for the business. Soon Coca-Cola, which had relied on one product, began releasing a bevy of new drinks and expanded to markets like Japan.

- Sector: Media

When Hulu emerged as a leader in the streaming industry, it operated as a joint venture among several major media companies. But in May, Disney became the primary owner of Hulu when Comcast agreed to sell its stake in the streaming platform. The sale will not take place for another five years, but is estimated to be worth .

- Sector: Media

Facebook began as a way for Harvard students to connect online. By 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. The deal, which came before Facebook’s IPO, was one of the company’s first forays into gobbling up major online companies.

- Sector: Media

In 2014, Amazon promised to pay for Twitch, the video game streaming site. This deal showed that Amazon, which now streams content through Amazon Prime Video, was ready to make a splash in the streaming industry, and that live video game broadcasts were more than a fad. Today, Twitch streams events outside of video games, and video game competitions include several international leagues that sell out stadiums and arenas.

- Sector: Media

When Google snatched up YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, some wondered what copyright concerns the internet titan might encounter in the still nascent world of streaming video. At the time, YouTube was Google's biggest purchase, and despite concerns about YouTube's staying power, the acquisition has worked out well. Still, despite YouTube becoming a household name and some YouTube stars making millions of dollars, the company is facing growing questions over content and .

- Sector: News

CNN, founded in 1980 by Ted Turner, was acquired by Time Warner in 1996. Earlier this year, AT&T, despite federal appeals, , creating WarnerMedia. The new conglomerate media company also holds the rights to stations like TNT and TBS.

- Sector: News

Many newspapers are still sorting out ways to survive in the digital age. One outlet that continues to produce in print and online is USA Today, which was first published by Gannett in 1982. Earlier this year, Gannett reached a deal merging with .

- Sector: News

In 2007, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. purchased Dow Jones & Company, whose assets included the Wall Street Journal. Earlier this year, when Disney bought 21st Century Fox, Previously, the Wall Street Journal was owned for more than 100 years by the Bancroft family.

- Sector: Pharmaceuticals

Pepto-Bismol was formerly owned by Morton-Norwich Products Inc., of Chicago, but in 1982, . The deal also gave Procter & Gamble rights to Chloraseptic, joining household staples like Tide and Downy.

- Sector: Pharmaceuticals

Robert McNeil opened a Philadelphia pharmacy in 1879, which grew to become McNeil Laboratories. In 1955, the lab produced Tylenol for children; four years later, Johnson & Johnson purchased McNeil Laboratories, and Tylenol soon became an over-the-counter drug. The drug's main ingredient, acetaminophen, is advertised as a fever reducer and pain reliever.

- Sector: Smart home

Google purchased Nest, a smart appliance company, for in 2014. But a year later, when Alphabet was created as an umbrella company for Google properties, Nest became its own company. However, in early 2018, Nest once again was .

- Sector: Smart home

Jamie Siminoff thought his Ring Wi-Fi-enabled doorbells would strike it big on the TV show “Shark Tank.” But when the sharks passed on Siminoff’s technology, and purchased Ring for a reported $1 billion.

- Sector: Snacks

Cape Cod Potato Chips was founded in 1980, and has had several owners. The chip company used to be owned by Anheuser-Busch, but then became a part of the Lance company brand in 1999. Lance merged with Snyder’s of Hanover in 2010, and the Snyder’s-Lance corporation was purchased by Campbell Soup in 2017.

- Sector: Snacks

Charles Elmer Doolin created the Frito chip and the Cheeto, which both fell under the Frito-Lay brand when Frito merged with H.W. Lay & Co. in 1961. However, it was , which made its debut in the early 1990s.

- Sector: Snacks

In the late 1980s, Nabisco introduced Teddy Grahams, and in their first year on the market. Kraft and Nabisco reached a partnership in 2000, and in 2012, Kraft .

- Sector: Sports drinks

By merging with Quaker Oats in 2001, PepsiCo acquired the coveted Gatorade brand in a . Pepsi outbid rival Coca-Cola for Quaker Oats, which also produced Aunt Jemima products and Cap’n Crunch cereal.

- Sector: Sports drinks

Rapper 50 Cent, an early endorser of Vitamin Water, once bragged on the song “” that he helped the sports drink sell to Coca-Cola for billions. The exact amount Coca-Cola paid to acquire Glaceau, Vitamin Water’s parent company, was $4.2 billion. How much 50 Cent earned off the deal is unknown, but he later .

- Sector: Sports media

In 1995, , a deal that included the cable sports behemoth ESPN. The marriage took ESPN to new heights, as it has broadcast all four major U.S. sports leagues since Disney entered the fold, as well as a plethora of major golf, tennis, soccer, and college sports events. Earlier this year, Disney made another huge splash when it .

- Sector: Sports media

In May 2019, to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. Authentic Brands managed companies like Nautica, and the licensing and trademark rights for several deceased celebrities, but had not made many notable splashes in the publishing field. Four months after acquiring the heralded sports magazine, Authentic Brands announced at the magazine.

- Sector: Technology

Music producer Dr. Dre is known for his high-profile collaborations, but his duet with Apple may have been the most profitable. Dre, who with Jimmy Iovine made Beats headphones popular, in 2014. Previously, Beats was , a relationship that did not end as positively.

- Sector: Technology

Facebook ponied up $2 billion in 2014 to purchase Oculus, a virtual reality company with deep seeds in the gaming world, to everyday life. Despite a slow start, Facebook seems intent on pushing VR, as it , a VR game studio.

- Sector: Technology

After delays, Microsoft released its Xbox gaming system in the fall of 2001. It was Microsoft’s first game console, and subsequent versions like the Xbox 360 and Xbox One have been top sellers in the video game world. As of 2018, , making them a notable force in the industry.

- Sector: Toiletries

In the summer of 2016, Unilever purchased the direct-to-consumer Dollar Shave Club razor business. Unilever shelled out a reported $1 billion for the company, which was founded in 2012. With various skin-care and hair-styling products in Dollar Shave Club’s line, Unilever said the company brought “a unique male grooming perspective” to a growing market.

- Sector: Toiletries

When Procter & Gamble purchased Old Spice for $300 million in 1990, a P&G executive told reporters,  Fast forward almost 30 years later, and Old Spice commercials are some of the most recognizable on television, injecting a vintage brand with some new wave appeal.

- Sector: Toiletries

Back in 2006, when the natural oral and personal care product market was , Colgate-Palmolive jumped at the chance to acquire a market leader, Tom's of Maine. Already the home of Mennen, Irish Spring, and other household brand names, which was known for its natural toothpastes. its products were not entirely natural.