Seagram

Seagram (full name Seagram Company Ltd. ) Was a great in Montreal (Canada) based conglomerate. The company was at that time the world's largest spirits company, and expanded towards the end of its existence in the music industry, film / television and entertainment. Through mergers and sales of Seagram name largely disappeared, the former core areas are now part of Pernod Ricard, Vivendi and NBC Universal.

Designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson Seagram Building on Park Avenue 375 in New York City - the former U.S. headquarters of the company - named Seagram yet.

History

In Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, a distillery ( distillery ) was founded in 1857, at the Joseph E. Seagram in 1869 participated as a partner. Seagram took over the company in 1883 and renamed it in Joseph E. Seagram & Sons.

Samuel Bronfman founded Distillers Corporation Ltd. 1924. in Montréal and benefited in the 1920s from Prohibition in the United States, which helped his company to strong growth. 1928 Bronfman bought the small distillery Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, along with the naming rights because of Seagram's heir from.

Seagram how Distillers Corp.. now called, had impressive amounts of various whiskey and was well prepared for the repeal of Prohibition in 1933., the company prospered and brought the Bronfman family fortune one that practically grew regardless of the economic situation.

This success of the Seagram name is usually associated with the Bronfman family connected to what mistakenly leads to the assertion Samuel Bronfman founded Seagram had. Until his death in 1971, Samuel Bronfman led the company, which was then taken over by his son, Edgar Bronfman.

Edgar sen. put on diversification of the multi-billion dollar company and tried in 1981 Conoco Inc., a major American oil and gas producers to take over. Although Seagram was able to acquire 32.2 % of the company, failed hostile takeover, as the chemical company DuPont came as a white knight in the game and Conoco took over. In exchange for the shares of Conoco, however, Seagram received 24.3 % of DuPont. By 1995, Seagram was the largest single shareholder of DuPont and placed four seats on the board - 70 % of Seagram's revenue came at this time from the participation in DuPont.

In 1987, Seagram 's renowned French cognac maker Martell & Co. for 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.

In June 1994 Edgar sen handed. the position of CEO to his son Edgar. Under Edgar jun. began almost immediately to the conversion of the company into a media and investment group.

On 6 April 1995, DuPont announced that it would buy back the Seagram shares, after Standard & Poor's announced that this could have a downgrade of Seagram result, due to their long-term liabilities in the amount of 4.2 billion U.S. dollars. Since Edgar jun. insisted on trying to rebuild Seagram in one entertainment group, the business was conducted.

In the same year acquired Seagram for an estimated 5.7 billion U.S. dollars, 80 % of the Music Corporation of America (MCA Inc.) from the Japanese Matsushita Group. The MCA Holding was also renamed Universal Studios, from the MCA Music Entertainment Group was the Universal Music Group.

1997 Seagram bought for 1.7 billion U.S. dollars of Viacom 's 50 % share in the USA Network. 1998 Seagram acquired for 10.4 billion U.S. dollars PolyGram, the music division of the Philips Group, which was integrated into the Universal Music Group (UMG ), whereby the world's largest music publishing was born.

In 1999 began the sale of the former core business. Seagram Australia went to the Foster's Group. Mumm & Cie Champagne Perrier -Jouet, and the fruit juice brand Tropicana were sold for a total of 4 billion U.S. dollars to various companies. When Seagram was swallowed in 2000 by Vivendi for 34 billion U.S. dollars, the new owner sold all the remaining wine and spirits divisions, along with the naming rights for 8.1 billion U.S. dollars to the company Pernod Ricard and Diageo.

Vivendi changed the name temporarily in Vivendi Universal - in allusion to the two major Seagram entertainment divisions Universal Studios and Universal Music. The name is Seagram since then only an exclusive brand of certain products from Pernod Ricard and Diageo.

  • Spirits producer
  • Former media companies
  • Media companies (Canada)
  • Former Company (Canada)
  • Company ( Montreal)
  • Established in 1857
Waterloo (Ontario)
719838
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