| Type | Public (ASX: BXB) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Business Services |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Key people | Graham Kraehe, Chairman Tom Gorman, CEO |
| Revenue | US$4,358.6 million (2008) |
| Operating income | US$1,046.9 million (2008) |
| Net income | US$648.7 million (2008) |
| Employees | circa 12,000 (2008) |
| Website | www.brambles.com |
Brambles Limited is a support services business listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Contents |
Brambles traces its history to 1875, when Walter Bramble began his career in Newcastle, north of Sydney, Australia.[1] Brambles Industries Limited first listed in Australia in 1954.[1] The British side of the group traces its origins to 1759, with the establishment of the Dowlais Iron Company in Dowlais, Wales, which later became part of GKN. The two companies began a joint venture in 1975 to operate CHEP,[1] a shipping pallet-pooling operation already run by Brambles in Australia, in the UK, and a second joint venture followed in the waste management sector. In 2001 GKN demerged its support services activities, which were then listed on the London Stock Exchange as Brambles Industries plc.[1] The new plc and Brambles Industries Limited of Australia were then combined in a dual-listed company structure.[1]
In 2006 Brambles sold Cleanaway Australia and Brambles Industrial Services to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 2006 for about $A1,200 million.[2] Then the Company sold Cleanaway UK to Veolia of France in a £651 million deal.[2] Subsequently, Brambles merged its Australian and British-listed entities into a single entity listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.[3]
The group has the following businesses, which each operate in a number of countries:
The majority of the board is Australian-based, as is the board chairman Graham Kraehe. Tom Gorman became CEO effective from 1 November 2009.[4]