Mars, Incorporated 245067 225396081 2008-07-13T13:33:25Z Swedish fusilier 5072303 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225395922 by [[Special:Contributions/92.5.76.222|92.5.76.222]] ([[User talk:92.5.76.222|talk]]) {{Infobox Company |company_name = Mars Incorporated |company_logo = [[Image:Mars Inc.svg|center|200px]] |company_type = [[Privately held company|Private]] |company_slogan = |foundation = {{nowrap|[[1911]] in [[Tacoma, Washington]], [[United States|USA]]}} |location = 6885 Elm Street, [[McLean, Virginia]], USA |key_people = [[Frank C. Mars]] (founder)<br/>[[John Mars]] (chairman)<br />[[Mars family]] (owners) |num_employees = 40,000 (2006)<ref name="Yahoo Biz">[http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/40/40297.html Yahoo! Finance: Mars, Incorporated Company Profile]</ref> |industry = [[Confectionery]] manufacturing |products = ''[[Mars Bar|Mars]]''{{·}} ''[[M&M's]]''{{·}} ''[[Bounty (chocolate bar)|Bounty]]''{{·}} ''[[Snickers]]''{{·}} ''[[Twix]]''{{·}} ''[[Whiskas]]''{{·}} ''[[Pedigree Petfoods|Pedigree]]''{{·}} ''[[Uncle Ben's]]''{{·}} ''[[Skittles (confectionery)|Skittles]]'' |revenue = US$21 billion (2006)<ref name="Yahoo Biz"/> |homepage = [http://www.mars.com/ mars.com] }} '''Mars, Incorporated''' is a world-wide manufacturer of [[confectionery]], pet food and other food products with [[United States dollar|US$]]21 billion in annual sales in 2006. Headquartered in [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]], [[Virginia]], [[United States|USA]], the company is entirely owned by the [[Mars family]], making it one of the largest privately owned [[List of United States companies|U.S. corporations]]. Most of its activities in the US are based in [[Hackettstown, New Jersey]]. The European Division, known as '''Masterfoods Europe''', is headquartered in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]. The name Masterfoods originally came from a food business founded by the Lewis family in 1949 in [[Australia]], and acquired by Mars in 1967. The company announced at the end of 2007 that all business units were adopting the name '''Mars''', '''Masterfoods''' ceased to be a business name but continues as the brand name of food products in Australia. Mars is most famous for its eponymous ''[[Mars Bar]]'', as well as other confectionery such as ''[[Milky Way bar|Milky Way]]'', ''[[M&M's]]'', ''[[Twix]]'', ''[[Skittles (confectionery)|Skittles]]'' and ''[[Snickers]]''. They also produce non-confectionery snacks (including ''[[Combos]]'') and other foods (including ''[[Uncle Ben's]]'' and European Pasta Sauce Brand ''[[Dolmio]]'') as well as pet foods (such as ''[[Whiskas]]'', ''[[Chappy]]'' and ''[[Pedigree Petfoods|Pedigree]]'' brands). Mars' purchase of Doane Petcare Company in June 2006 significantly increased its position in the US dry pet food category. On [[April 28]], [[2008]], Mars, Incorporated, together with [[Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated]] announced the buyout of [[Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company]], the world's largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all cash deal. The two companies together are expected to generate sales in excess of $27 billion and unseat [[Cadbury Schweppes]] as the world's largest confectioner. ==Company history== The company was founded in [[Tacoma, Washington]], in 1911, when [[Frank Clarence Mars]] and his wife Ethel started producing and selling candy. In 1920, he was inspired by a popular type of milkshakes<ref>[http://www.mars.com/global/about+us/the+mars+story Mars.com: The Mars Story]</ref> and in 1923 the ''Milky Way'' bar was born.<ref>[http://www.milkywaybar.com/facts/timeline.html Milky Way Brand Timeline]</ref> The company grew quickly. Mars is still a family owned business, belonging to the Mars family. The company is famous for its secrecy. Through the years, repeated attempts to get inside the company have taken place but to no avail. In 1992, a writer from ''The Washington Post'' was allowed limited access into the heart of the company. When the final article appeared, it supposedly talked about some of the more embarrassing and forgotten moments in the company's history. In 1999, for example, the company did not acknowledge that [[Forrest Mars, Sr.]], had died or that he had worked for the company.<ref name=Chong>{{cite news | last = Chong | first = Liz | title = Two Mars staff for trial on fraud charges | pages = | publisher = TimesOnline | date = [[2005-08-29]] | url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9070-1754766,00.html | accessdate = 2007-08-18 }}</ref> The company argues that due to private ownership, there is no need to account to anyone but themselves. In the same spirit, Mars, Inc., does not cooperate with many widely publicized organizations, such as Fairtrade, arguing that its own internal standards, rooted in the "Five Principles" deliver even better results. An example is the company's Cocoa Sustainability initiative.<ref>[http://www.cocoasustainability.mars.com/Sustainability/Default.html Mars, Incorporated: Cocoa Sustainability, A Commitment to the Future]</ref> Despite its secrecy, Mars Incorporated has developed a reputation across its leading markets to be excellent training grounds for managers. In the UK, for instance, many CEOs of large companies learned their trade at Mars, Inc. Recently, the company caught on to that and re-branded their employer brand to "Mars - The Ultimate Business School".<ref>[http://www.mars.com/ultimategrads Mars - The Ultimate Business School]</ref> Moving into fourth [[generation]] [[family ownership]], the company recently passed from family leadership into non-family leadership; however, the business is still owned by the family. The global CEO of Mars, Inc. is Paul Michaels. Michaels is part of a new group of non-family management that has taken over since the retirement of [[John Franklyn Mars|John]] and [[Forrest Mars, Jr.]] The family now oversees the business as a council or board of directors. In the United States the company has manufacturing facilities in Hackettstown, New Jersey; [[Albany, Georgia]]; [[Burr Ridge, Illinois|Burr Ridge]], [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] and [[Mattoon, Illinois]]; [[Cleveland, Tennessee]]; [[Columbia, South Carolina]]; [[Columbus, Ohio]]; [[Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania]]; [[Greenville, Mississippi]]; [[Greenville, Texas|Greenville]] and [[Waco, Texas]]; [[Henderson, Nevada|Henderson]] and [[Reno, Nevada]]; and [[Vernon, California]]. Until sold in June 2006, a division of Mars known as [[MEI (company)|Mars Electronics International]] produced, among other products, coin mechanisms such as those used in vending machines. MEI also manufactured bill validators, which were among the most common bill validators found in the US. A further Mars business - FourSquare - utilise those products formerly made at MEI in their vending machines. Four Square comprises the ''FLAVIA'' and ''KLIX'' brands. ''FLAVIA'' operates within the US, UK and [[Japan]]ese markets, while ''KLIX'' operates within UK, [[Germany]] and [[France]]. In 2007, Mars Incorporated undertook a major rebranding operation which saw, among other global changes, FourSquare being renamed to Mars Drinks, the pet food division (formerly part of Masterfoods) being renamed to Mars Petfoods and Masterfoods itself (the largest division of Mars, Incorporated) being renamed to Mars Snacks{{fact|date= October 2007}}. ==Mars Limited== '''Mars Limited''' is the name of the British branch of Mars, Inc. The company is based in [[Slough]], [[UK]]. Mars brands manufactured for the UK market but not for the US include ''[[Maltesers]]'' and ''[[Tunes]]''. In 1932, Forrest Mars, Sr., opened what was then Mars (Europe) headquarters, and remains Mars (UK) headquarters in Slough, UK<ref name=Chong /> on the then-new [[Slough Trading Estate]] after a disagreement with his father, [[Frank C. Mars]]. In this factory, he produced the first [[Mars Bar]], based on the American [[Milky Way bar|Milky Way]].<ref>[http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=slough&f=generic_theme%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3dtheme_record_id=sl%2dsl%2dmars&s=pTgQXfMaqIi Slough History Online: Themes - "Smoke, Steam and (Computer) Chips: Mars - the Chocolate Planet"]</ref> Many brands which were later introduced in the [[US]] were first created and sold in [[United Kingdom|Britain]]; these include [[Starburst]], [[Skittles (confectionery)|Skittles]], [[Twix]], [[Snickers]] and [[Topic (chocolate bar)|Topic]]. The bar formerly sold in the US as the ''Mars Bar'' is now marketed in that country as the ''Snickers [[Almond]] Bar'' and is not sold consistently in the UK where it has appeared with other special editions that are released occasionally. ''[[Milky Way bar|Milky Way]]'' in Europe and worldwide is known as the ''[[3 Musketeers (candy)|3 Musketeers]]'' in America. Similarly, the ''[[Snickers]]'' bar was previously marketed in Britain and the [[Republic of Ireland]] as ''Marathon'' until 1990; in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, also until 1990; ''[[Dove (chocolate)|Dove]]'' is known as ''[[Galaxy (chocolate)|Galaxy]]'' in the UK, [[Republic of Ireland]] and the [[Middle East]]; and ''[[Starburst (confectionery)|Starburst]]'' was known in the UK and Ireland as ''Opal Fruits'' until 1998. Chocolate and peanut [[M&M's]] were introduced in 1990 to replace''Treets''(simlar to peanut M&Ms but all in plain brown chocolate-candy shells) and ''Toffee Treats'' (toffee centres in place of the peanut). The two factories in Slough were located on Liverpool Road and Dundee Road; the one on Liverpool Road closed in 2007, with Twix and Starburst production moving to the Netherlands and the [[Czech Republic]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/4335967.stm BBC.co.uk: "Mars cuts 700 from UK workforce"]</ref> In 1963 a large factory was opened in [[Veghel]], The [[Netherlands]]. This factory has currently the biggest production volume of Mars factories and is even the biggest chocolate factory of the world.{{fact|date=July 2007}} Most confectionery products for Europe are produced in [[Slough]], [[UK]] and [[Veghel]], [[Netherlands|The Netherlands]]. Many confectionery products for the Australian market are produced in [[Ballarat]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]]. ==Effem Inc== '''[[Effem]] Inc''' is the Canadian Division of Mars, Inc. The company is based in Bolton, Ontario. ==Criticism== {{weasel}} During the US telecast of [[Super Bowl XLI]], [[Snickers]], a Mars, Inc. brand, ran an ad campaign with [[NFL]] approval and logo, portraying two men who accidentally kiss each other while biting into a candy bar and respond with violence. The ad's imagery created negative publicity, including statements from [[Human Rights Campaign|HRC]] and [[GLAAD]], that led to the ads and those on their related website being pulled. From 1 May 2007, many Mars products made in the UK became unsuitable for [[vegetarians]]. The company announced that it would be using [[whey]] made with animal [[Rennet|rennet]] (material from a calf's stomach lining, and a byproduct of [[Veal|veal]]), instead of using rennet made by micro organisms, in products including Mars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6653175.stm BBC.co.uk: "Mars starts using animal products" May 14, 2007]</ref> The response from many thousands of consumers, particularly the [[Vegetarian Society]]'s request for UK vegetarians to register their protests with Mars, generated a lot of press, and caused the company to abandon these plans shortly thereafter.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6673549.stm BBC.co.uk: "Mars bars get veggie status back" May 20, 2007]</ref> It has reportedly decided to switch to all-vegetarian sources in the near future in the UK.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/21/nmars21.xml Telegraph: "Mars in damage limitation exercise" May 21, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.masterfoodsconsumercare.co.uk/veg_status.asp Mars UK press release Aug, 2007: "Introduction of vegetarian labelling on our leading UK confectionery brands"]</ref> In January 2008 the Metro newspaper reported that Mars had allegedly begun to incorporate animal derived rennet. <ref>[http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=83912&in_page_id=34 Want meat in your choc bar? Twix fits!]</ref> Mars has come under criticism by [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]] for funding animal tests which the group alleges are inhumane, including a study regarding [[angiogenesis]] and [[spatial memory]] in which mice were force fed [[catechins]], a candy ingredient, compelled to swim in paint, then [[dissection|dissected]].<ref> van Praag H, Lucero MJ, Yeo GW, Stecker K, Heivand N, Zhao C, Yip E, Afanador M, Schroeter H, Hammerstone J, Gage FH <I> Plant-Derived Flavanol Epicatechin Enhances Angiogenesis and Retention of Spatial Memory in Mice</i> J Neuroscience, 27(22):5869-5878, May 30, 2007</ref> Other experiments involved life-threatening cardiac puncture of mice with inadequate [[anesthesia]] {{weasel word}}. PETA alleges that these experiments are not required by law, their only purpose being to promote increased consumption of Mars' products. There is evidence that Mars, and a number of other chocolate manufacturers, such as [[Hershey]] and [[Nestle]], source cocoa beans from African nations that are known to use child labour.<ref>McMahon, Kate, "AFRICA: The Dark Side of Chocolate", found at <http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12754> published October 8th 2005. Downloaded on 3rd July 2008.</ref> The ''State Department's year 2000 human rights report'' "concluded that some 15,000 children between the ages of 9 and 12 from poorer neighboring countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo have been sold into forced labor on northern Ivory Coast plantations in recent years"<ref>Raghavan, Sudarsan and Sumana Chatterjee, "IVORY COAST: Slave Labor Taints Sweetness of World's Chocolate", found at<http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=76> published June 23rd 2001. Downloaded 3rd July 2008.</ref> Furthermore, these chocolate companies lobby against [[United States]] legislation requiring "'slave free' labels on their products."<ref>Chatterjee, Sumana, "US: Chocolate Firms Fight 'Slave Free' Labels" found at <http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=49> published August 1st 2001. Downloaded 3rd July 2008.</ref> ==Products== Many of Mars' products are famous-name brands, including: *''[[3 Musketeers (candy)|3 Musketeers]] *''Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (recently renamed to Mars Fish Care)'' *''[[Bounty (chocolate bar)|Bounty]]'' *''[[Buckeye Nutrition]]'' *''[[Celebrations]]'' *''Cesar (Dog Food) * [[Combos]] *''[[Dove (chocolate)|Dove Chocolate]]'' *''Fling'' *''[[Flyte (chocolate bar)|Flyte]]'' *''[[Galaxy (chocolate)|Galaxy]]'' *''Greenies'' *''[[Kudos (granola bar)|Kudos]]'' *''[[Lockets]]'' *''[[M&M's]]'' *''[[Maltesers]]'' *''[[Mars Bar]]'' *''[[Mars Delight]]'' *''Mars Planets (newly introduced in the UK) *''[[M-Azing]]'' *''[[Medi-Cal (Prescription Pet Food)]]'' *''[[Milky Way bar|Milky Way]]'' *''[[Minstrels (chocolate)|Minstrels]] *''[[Nutro]]'' *''[[Pedigree Petfoods |Pedigree]]'' *''Pill Pockets'' *''[[Promite]] *''Revels'' *''[[Royal Canin]] (Pet Food)'' *''Schmackos'' *''Seeds of Change'' *''[[Sheba (cat food)]]'' *''[[Skittles (candy)|Skittles]]'' *''Snickers Marathon Energy Bar'' *''[[Snickers]]'' *''[[Spillers]]'' *''[[Starburst (confectionery)|Starburst]]'' *''Techni-Cal'' *''[[Topic (chocolate bar)|Topic]]'' *''[[Tracker (granola bar)|Tracker]]'' *''[[Twix]]'' *''[[Whiskas]]'' *''[[Winergy]]'' *''Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed DNA Test'' Other confections, no longer produced, include: *''Bisc & Bars *''Galaxy counters *''[[Pacers (confection)|Pacers]]'' *''Royals'' *''[[Spangles]]'' ==See also== * [[Big Chocolate]] * [[Mars family]] ==Notes and references== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.mars.com/ Official site] * [http://www.masterfoods.com/ Masterfoods site] *[http://www.uk.pedigree.com Pedigree Petfoods UK] *[http://www.mars.com/MarsCmsWebApp/Templates/MarsDirectory/Company%20Search%20Results.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bE71488A2-3C77-4752-9603-33861BE6935C%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fMars%2bDirectory%2fUnited%2bKingdom%2fCompany%2bSearch%2bResults%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest#MFKS Masterfoods UK] *[http://www.mypedigree.ca Pedigree Petfoods Canada] *[http://www.pedigree.nl/nl-nl/extra/Pedigree20050114/honden.html Pedigree Netherlands] * [http://www.effem-inc.ca/english/about.htm Effem Inc (Canadian Division)] * [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/40/40297.html Company profile] from Yahoo! Mars Symbioscience Businesses: *[http://symbioscience.com/about.asp Symbioscience] *[http://www.marsveterinary.com/ Mars Veterinary] *[http://www.whatsmydog.com/ Wisdom Panel] *[http://www.marsbotanical.com/ Mars Botanical] {{Mars confectionery products}} [[Category:Companies established in 1911]] [[Category:Chocolatiers]] [[Category:Companies based in McLean, Virginia]] [[Category:Confectionery companies of the United States]] [[Category:Family businesses]] [[Category:Mars brands| ]] [[Category:Food companies of the United States]] [[Category:Multinational companies]] [[Category:Privately held companies of the United States]] [[Category:Mars family]] [[Category:Multinational food companies]] [[be:Mars]] [[da:Mars Incorporated]] [[de:Mars Incorporated]] [[fr:Mars Incorporated]] [[id:Mars Incorporated]] [[it:Mars, Incorporated]] [[lb:Mars Incorporated]] [[nl:Mars Incorporated]] [[no:Mars, Incorporated]] [[pl:Mars Incorporated]] [[pt:Mars, Incorporated]] [[ro:Mars Incorporated]] [[ru:Mars]] [[sv:Mars Incorporated]]