Sara Lee
Encyclopedia
Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois
, USA. It has operations in more than 40 countries and sells its products in over 180 nations worldwide. Its international operations are headquartered in Utrecht
, Netherlands
.
Sara Lee is also the brand name of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee," often incorrectly reported as "Nobody does it like Sara Lee." In 2006, Sara Lee announced a new company wide campaign: "the joy of eating." The campaign is part of a restructuring at Sara Lee.
The company traces its lineage to 1939, when Nathan Cummings
acquired C.D. Kenny Company, a wholesale distributor of sugar, coffee and tea in Baltimore, and created Consolidated Foods Corporation. In 1956 the company bought a company known as Kitchens of Sara Lee
, which became one of the company's best-known brand names. In 1985 management adopted the brand name as the name of the corporation as a whole. As of 2006, Sara Lee Corporation has operations in more than 40 countries; sells food, beverage and household products in over 180 countries; and has some 40,000 employees worldwide.
In 2011, Sara Lee Corporation split into two companies--one for North American operations which would remain Sara Lee, the other for international beverage and bakery businesses.
of Sara Lee are: Christopher B. Begley, Crandall Bowles, Virgis W. Colbert, James S. Crown, Laurette T. Koellner, Dr. John McAdam, Sir Ian Prosser, Rozanne L. Ridgway
, Norman R. Sorensen, Jeffrey W. Ubben, Cees J.A. van Lede, Jonathan Ward.
Beverages
Sara Lee Corporation has announced on Sept 28th, 2009, that it has received a binding offer for its Global Body Care and European Detergents to Unilever for €1.275 billion. On June 1, 2010 Sara Lee announced it had completed the sale of its 51 percent stake in its Godrej Sara Lee joint venture to Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. for a total consideration of €185 million ($230 million). On June 15, 2010, the company announced that it had received a binding offer of $153.5 million for its remaining insecticides business. The offer is dependent on European Union antitrust approval; the decision is due May 2, 2011. On July 5, 2010, Sara Lee completed the sale of its Ambi Pur air care business to Procter & Gamble for €320 million. The shoe care business remains under strategic evaluation looking for potential buyers.
hot dog and meat processing
facility in Chicago
, on or before January 30, 2009. Sara Lee has decided to exit the kosher meat business and discontinue processing and distributing products made under all of its kosher meat brands, including: Best’s Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno.
s, that dated back to 1888.
Brenda C. Barnes
was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Sara Lee Corporation in 2004. The Senseo
coffee system was launched in the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark.
In February 2005, the company began executing a bold and ambitious multi-year plan to transform Sara Lee into a company focused on its food, beverage, and household and body care businesses around the world. To support that focus, Sara Lee announced plans to dispose of approximately 40 percent of the company’s revenues, including its apparel, European packaged meats, U.S. retail coffee and direct selling businesses.
In addition, as part of the transformation, Sara Lee organized its operation around its customers, consumers and geographies to better serve the ever-changing global marketplace.
Brenda C. Barnes was named president and chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation in 2005, and the corporation announced it selected a Downers Grove, Illinois
, location as the new company headquarters, which will house the company’s North American operating businesses and the majority of Sara Lee’s corporate staff.
2005 also saw the debut of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread. In October, Brenda C. Barnes succeeded C. Steven McMillan as chairman of Sara Lee Corporation. The year ended with the sale of Sara Lee’s direct selling business to Tupperware
.
2006 featured the divestiture of Sara Lee's European meats and European branded apparel businesses. In addition, the corporation spun off to its shareholders the Branded Apparel, Americas/Asia, business, into a separate, publicly traded company called HanesBrands
Inc.
Including the spin-off, Sara Lee raises more than $3.7 billion in proceeds as part of the company’s transformation plan. In addition to the monetary benefits, the company is now tightly focused on its core businesses—food, beverage, and household and body care.
By 2009, Sara Lee was pursuing the sale of its Household and Body Care business in their continuing effort to focus on core business. In April, Sara Lee launched a state-of-the-art research and development center named The Kitchens of Sara Lee, a 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) campus at the company’s headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill.
On 25 September 2009, Sara Lee announced it accepted a binding offer by Unilever
for €1.275 billion to sell its global body care and European detergents business. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and consultation with European employee works councils.
On 9 November 2010, Sara Lee said that by selling its North American Fresh Bakery unit to Grupo Bimbo
, it could grow in other areas. The $959 million deal gives Sara Lee the right to continue using the Sara Lee name on frozen desserts and meat products. Grupo Bimbo will use the Sara Lee name for fresh-baked products around the world except for Western Europe
, Australia
and New Zealand
. The deal also means Grupo Bimbo gets 41 plants and the regional brands Grandma Sycamore's, Heiner's and Rainbo.
On 28 January 2011, Sara Lee announced the company would be split into two units. The company said its North American operations (including Jimmy Dean, Ball Park and Hillshire Farm) would continue to use the Sara Lee name, while the international beverage and bakery businesses (including Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Pickwick, Maison du Café, L'OR, Café Pilão, and Marcilla) would constitute a separate unit to be named later. Some analysts claim splitting the business into two units would make a takeover more likely. Stockholders would have equal shares in both companies. Also, Marcel Smith, interim CEO since Barnes left due to a stroke
, becomes the new CEO, and Jan Bennink becomes director and chairman.
. Earthgrains Baking Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of Sara Lee, paid a $5.25 million civil penalty
with the Department of Justice
and the EPA for violating the stratospheric ozone protection regulations.
With over 300 large appliances involved, 57 out of 67 facilities owned by Earthgrains Baking Companies leaked refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, at a rate 35% higher than allowed by law. In the EPA's 2002 Annual Report, Sara Lee reported that it did not expect significantly adverse effects on its finances on account of liability from the EPA proceedings. The US government further appointed Sara Lee to convert all the company’s industrial process refrigeration appliances to prevent the release of substances which deplete the ozone layer. The company made no attempt to correct leakage problems even after their discovery.
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
, USA. It has operations in more than 40 countries and sells its products in over 180 nations worldwide. Its international operations are headquartered in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Sara Lee is also the brand name of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee," often incorrectly reported as "Nobody does it like Sara Lee." In 2006, Sara Lee announced a new company wide campaign: "the joy of eating." The campaign is part of a restructuring at Sara Lee.
The company traces its lineage to 1939, when Nathan Cummings
Nathan Cummings
Nathan Cummings was the founder of Consolidated Foods, which later became known by one of its product lines, Sara Lee Corporation.-Early life:...
acquired C.D. Kenny Company, a wholesale distributor of sugar, coffee and tea in Baltimore, and created Consolidated Foods Corporation. In 1956 the company bought a company known as Kitchens of Sara Lee
Kitchens of Sara Lee
In 1935, Charles Lubin, then in his 30s, and his brother-in-law, bought a small chain of Chicago neighborhood bakeries called Community Bake Shops. Working together, the businessmen grew their original three stores into a chain of seven bakeries....
, which became one of the company's best-known brand names. In 1985 management adopted the brand name as the name of the corporation as a whole. As of 2006, Sara Lee Corporation has operations in more than 40 countries; sells food, beverage and household products in over 180 countries; and has some 40,000 employees worldwide.
In 2011, Sara Lee Corporation split into two companies--one for North American operations which would remain Sara Lee, the other for international beverage and bakery businesses.
Governance
Current members of the board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Sara Lee are: Christopher B. Begley, Crandall Bowles, Virgis W. Colbert, James S. Crown, Laurette T. Koellner, Dr. John McAdam, Sir Ian Prosser, Rozanne L. Ridgway
Rozanne L. Ridgway
Rozanne L. Ridgway served 32 years with the U.S. State Department, holding several posts, including ambassador to Finland and to East Germany, and finished her career as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs...
, Norman R. Sorensen, Jeffrey W. Ubben, Cees J.A. van Lede, Jonathan Ward.
Current
Food- Ball Park FranksBall Park FranksBall Park Franks is the name of a brand of hot dogs made by Sara Lee.It currently comes in the following varieties:* Original Meat Franks* Original Beef Franks* Bun Size Meat Franks* Bun Size Beef Franks* Turkey Franks* Angus Beef FranksSlogan:...
: hot dogs - Bimbo: bakery, Spanish market
- Bistro collection: bakery
- Bon Gateaux: bakery
- Bony: bakery
- Bryan: meats
- Butter-Krust: bakery
- Bryan FoodsBryan FoodsBryan Foods is a meat company that started in West Point, Mississippi, and is now a brand of Sara Lee. Its headquarters was originally in West Point, and then Cincinnati, Ohio. Bryan Foods is now a nationwide brand owned by Sara Lee that is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois....
: meats - Colonial: bread
- CroustiPâte: bakery, European market
- Deli d'Italia: meats
- Deli Perfect: meats
- Earth Grains: bread
- Emeril: meats
- Galileo: meats
- Gallo Salame: meats
- Grandma Sycamore: bakery
- Heiner's Bakery: bakery
- Hillshire FarmHillshire FarmHillshire Farm is a brand of meat products marketed and owned by Sara Lee. The company was founded in 1934, and was purchased by Sara Lee in 1971. Friedrich Bernegger, born in Austria, started the business at the facility in New London, Wisconsin....
: meats - IronKids: bread
- Jimmy DeanJimmy Dean (brand)Jimmy Dean Foods is a food company that was founded in 1969 by the late country singer and actor Jimmy Dean who died in the summer of 2010. It was purchased by Consolidated Foods, later renamed Sara Lee Corporation.-History:...
: pork sausages and meat products - Kahn's: meats
- Madame Brioche Martinez: bakery
- Merrild: Coffee
- Mother's: bakery
- Mr. Turkey
- Ortiz: bakery
- R.B. Rice: meats
- Rainbo: bakery
- Rudy's Farm: pork sausage and breakfast sandwiches
- Sara Lee: bakery, condiments, deli cheese, deli meats and frozen sweets
- Silueta: bakery
- Sunbeam BreadSunbeam BreadSunbeam Bread is a franchised brand of white bread, rolls, and other baked goods owned by the Quality Bakers of America cooperative. The bread products are produced and distributed by eight regional bakeries located in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania,...
: bakery - State Fair: corn dogs
- West Virginia Brand: meats
Beverages
- Butter-Nut Cappuccino:
- Bravo:
- CabocloCabocloA caboclo or caboco is a person of a mixed Brazilian Indian and European ancestry. In Brazil, a caboclo is a specific type of mestiço as is the mulato, a person of a mixed Afro-Brazilian and European ancestry....
: - Café ContinentalCafé ContinentalCafé Continental was a British television variety show on the BBC Television Service from 1947 to 1953. Broadcast live from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace, the programme opened with a "Maître d'hôtel" who welcomed the television audience to the "cafe" set and told them that "your table has...
: - Café Damasco
- Café do Ponto
- Café Pilão
- Cafitesse
- Chat NoirChat NoirChat Noir is a cabaret and revue theatre in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1912 by Bokken Lasson. The current director is Tom Sterri.-Establishment:...
- Cain's Coffee
- Douwe EgbertsDouwe EgbertsDouwe Egberts is a Dutch corporation that processes and trades coffee, tea, and other groceries. Its full name is Douwe Egberts Koninklijke Tabaksfabriek-Koffiebranderijen-Theehandel NV, which translates as "Douwe Egberts Royal Tobacco Factory - Coffee Roasters - Tea Traders, Plc."...
: coffee, tea - Harris
- Hornimans
- Jacqmotte
- Java Coast
- Kanis & Gunnink
- Kayo
- Laurentis
- Maison du Café
- Marcilla
- Maryland Club
- Merrild
- MocconaMocconaMoccona is a brand of coffee produced by the Dutch corporation Douwe Egberts . It is available in Australia, Finland, Thailand and New Zealand, where it is one of the most popular brands of coffee...
- Natreen
- Natrena
- Paradise
- Piazza d'Oro
- Pickwick: tea
- Prima
- Seleto
- SenseoSenseoSenseo is a registered trademark for a coffee brewing system from Dutch companies Philips and Douwe Egberts, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation...
: coffee machine and coffee pods - Soley
- Steamers
- Suntipt
- Van Nelle
Divested
Sara Lee Corporation announced in 2006 that it had completed the sale of its branded apparel business in Europe to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Such brands included Dim, Playtex, Wonderbra, Lovable, Abanderado, Nur Die, Unno, Bellinda.Sara Lee Corporation has announced on Sept 28th, 2009, that it has received a binding offer for its Global Body Care and European Detergents to Unilever for €1.275 billion. On June 1, 2010 Sara Lee announced it had completed the sale of its 51 percent stake in its Godrej Sara Lee joint venture to Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. for a total consideration of €185 million ($230 million). On June 15, 2010, the company announced that it had received a binding offer of $153.5 million for its remaining insecticides business. The offer is dependent on European Union antitrust approval; the decision is due May 2, 2011. On July 5, 2010, Sara Lee completed the sale of its Ambi Pur air care business to Procter & Gamble for €320 million. The shoe care business remains under strategic evaluation looking for potential buyers.
Discontinued
On November 19, 2008, Sara Lee Corporation announced that it will close its kosherKashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
hot dog and meat processing
Meat packing industry
The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock...
facility in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, on or before January 30, 2009. Sara Lee has decided to exit the kosher meat business and discontinue processing and distributing products made under all of its kosher meat brands, including: Best’s Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno.
History
In 1986, Sara Lee bought the manufacturing and mail order operations of Wolferman's, a well-known maker of English muffinEnglish muffin
A muffin or English muffin is a small, round, flat type of yeast-leavened bread almost always dusted with cornmeal, which is commonly served split horizontally, toasted, and buttered. Muffins are eaten either as a snack alone or as part of a meal.- History :An old English nursery rhyme, "The...
s, that dated back to 1888.
Brenda C. Barnes
Brenda C. Barnes
Brenda C. Barnes was the president, chairman and chief executive of Sara Lee , and previously was the first female CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America.-Career:...
was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Sara Lee Corporation in 2004. The Senseo
Senseo
Senseo is a registered trademark for a coffee brewing system from Dutch companies Philips and Douwe Egberts, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation...
coffee system was launched in the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark.
In February 2005, the company began executing a bold and ambitious multi-year plan to transform Sara Lee into a company focused on its food, beverage, and household and body care businesses around the world. To support that focus, Sara Lee announced plans to dispose of approximately 40 percent of the company’s revenues, including its apparel, European packaged meats, U.S. retail coffee and direct selling businesses.
In addition, as part of the transformation, Sara Lee organized its operation around its customers, consumers and geographies to better serve the ever-changing global marketplace.
Brenda C. Barnes was named president and chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation in 2005, and the corporation announced it selected a Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
, location as the new company headquarters, which will house the company’s North American operating businesses and the majority of Sara Lee’s corporate staff.
2005 also saw the debut of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread. In October, Brenda C. Barnes succeeded C. Steven McMillan as chairman of Sara Lee Corporation. The year ended with the sale of Sara Lee’s direct selling business to Tupperware
Tupperware
Tupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
.
2006 featured the divestiture of Sara Lee's European meats and European branded apparel businesses. In addition, the corporation spun off to its shareholders the Branded Apparel, Americas/Asia, business, into a separate, publicly traded company called HanesBrands
HanesBrands
HanesBrands Inc. is a clothing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It employs 50,000 people internationally. On September 6, 2006 the company was spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation....
Inc.
Including the spin-off, Sara Lee raises more than $3.7 billion in proceeds as part of the company’s transformation plan. In addition to the monetary benefits, the company is now tightly focused on its core businesses—food, beverage, and household and body care.
By 2009, Sara Lee was pursuing the sale of its Household and Body Care business in their continuing effort to focus on core business. In April, Sara Lee launched a state-of-the-art research and development center named The Kitchens of Sara Lee, a 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) campus at the company’s headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill.
On 25 September 2009, Sara Lee announced it accepted a binding offer by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
for €1.275 billion to sell its global body care and European detergents business. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and consultation with European employee works councils.
On 9 November 2010, Sara Lee said that by selling its North American Fresh Bakery unit to Grupo Bimbo
Grupo Bimbo
Grupo Bimbo is the largest Mexican food company and the largest bakery in the world with brands in Americas, Europe, and China.-History:Grupo Bimbo was established in Mexico in 1945 by Lorenzo Servitje, Jose T. Mata, Jaime Sendra, and Jaime Jorba...
, it could grow in other areas. The $959 million deal gives Sara Lee the right to continue using the Sara Lee name on frozen desserts and meat products. Grupo Bimbo will use the Sara Lee name for fresh-baked products around the world except for Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The deal also means Grupo Bimbo gets 41 plants and the regional brands Grandma Sycamore's, Heiner's and Rainbo.
On 28 January 2011, Sara Lee announced the company would be split into two units. The company said its North American operations (including Jimmy Dean, Ball Park and Hillshire Farm) would continue to use the Sara Lee name, while the international beverage and bakery businesses (including Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Pickwick, Maison du Café, L'OR, Café Pilão, and Marcilla) would constitute a separate unit to be named later. Some analysts claim splitting the business into two units would make a takeover more likely. Stockholders would have equal shares in both companies. Also, Marcel Smith, interim CEO since Barnes left due to a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, becomes the new CEO, and Jan Bennink becomes director and chairman.
Environmental record
According to the Climate Counts Company Scorecard, Sara Lee was ranked the worst food sector company, which provided the least commitment for consumers to reverse climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. Earthgrains Baking Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of Sara Lee, paid a $5.25 million civil penalty
Civil penalty
A civil penalty or civil fine is a term used to describe when a state entity, government agency, or private party seeks monetary relief against an individual as restitution for wrongdoing by the individual. The wrongdoing is typically defined by a codification of legislation, regulations, and decrees...
with the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and the EPA for violating the stratospheric ozone protection regulations.
With over 300 large appliances involved, 57 out of 67 facilities owned by Earthgrains Baking Companies leaked refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, at a rate 35% higher than allowed by law. In the EPA's 2002 Annual Report, Sara Lee reported that it did not expect significantly adverse effects on its finances on account of liability from the EPA proceedings. The US government further appointed Sara Lee to convert all the company’s industrial process refrigeration appliances to prevent the release of substances which deplete the ozone layer. The company made no attempt to correct leakage problems even after their discovery.
See also
- List of Illinois companies
- ReturnshipReturnshipA Returnship is an internship-like program first launched in 2008 by the Sara Lee Corporation. The intent of a returnship is to facilitate former mid-career individuals and businesses in exploring if a mutual working relationship is acceptable and desirable. The program in particular is...
(first company to use)