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  4. History in brief

History in brief

Here is an overview of milestones and major events in the history of Orkla.

2015

Orkla enters into an agreement to acquire the branded consumer goods company Cederroth.

Through this acquisition, Orkla Home & Personal became one of the leading Nordic suppliers of personal care, health, wound care and household cleaning products. Orkla Home & Personal changes its name to Orkla Care.

2014

Peter A. Ruzicka takes over as Group President and CEO. Orkla enters into an agreement to purchase NP Foods Group.

The acquisition nearly doubles the scale of Orkla’s Baltic operations, making Orkla one of the largest consumer goods companies in the region.

2013

The Orkla Branded Consumer Goods business area is re-organised.

into five units: Orkla Home & Personal, Orkla Confectionery & Snacks, Orkla Foods, Orkla International and Orkla Food Ingredients.

2012

Åge Korsvold takes over as Group President and CEO. Orkla enters into agreements to acquire Norwegian branded consumer goods companies Jordan and Rieber & Søn.

Borregaard is divested and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

2011

Orkla announces that its strategic focus will be on creating growth in its branded consumer goods operations.

Sale of Elkem to China National Bluestar Group Co., Ltd (Bluestar). Sale of most of Orkla’s share portfolio and certain other non-core assets.

2010

Bjørn M. Wiggen takes over as Group President and CEO.

Sale of Orkla’s forest companies Borregaard Skoger AS, AS Børresen and Borregaard Vafos AS.

2009

Swap of assets between Alcoa and Orkla

where Orkla receives Alcoa's ownership interest in Sapa Profiler, and Alcoa receives Orkla's ownership interest in Elkem Aluminium.

2008

The Orkla Branded Consumer Goods business area is co-ordinated in terms of management and organisation.

2007

A deal with Good Energies Investment and Q-Cells makes Orkla the largest owner of Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) with 39,99 % of the shares.

Orkla acquires MTR Foods > in India. MTR Foods' domestic market is Southern India, and the company holds leading positions in its categories.

2006

Orkla Media is sold.

Orkla acquires Dansk Droge > and the Russian chocolate company Krupskaya.

2005

Orkla takes over Elkem/Sapa and Chips Abp.

Dag J. Opedal takes over as Group President and CEO.

2004

Carlsberg Breweries sold. Orkla buys SladCo, a leading Russian manufacturer of chocolate, biscuits and confectionery products.

2001

Finn Jebsen takes over as Group President and CEO.

2000

Orkla enters into a joint venture with Carlsberg A/S and acquires a 40 % interest in Carlsberg Breweries.

Orkla Media purchases the Danish media group Det Berlingske Officin. The sale of NetCom shares yields a gain of NOK 2,239 million.

1997

Orkla Beverages increases its focus on Eastern Europe by acquiring an interest in Baltic Beverages Holding.

Pripps Ringnes is now wholly owned by Orkla.

1995

Orkla takes over the food manufacturing companies Procordia Food and Abba Seafood in Sweden.

The Swedish brewery Pripps and the Norwegian brewery Ringnes merge and are jointly owned by Orkla and Volvo. Orkla invests heavily in Russia through Baltic Beverages Holding.

1992

Orkla Media and Norske Egmont establish the magazine company Hjemmet Mortensen.

1991

A merger with Nora Industrier lays the foundation for focus on the Nordic branded consumer goods sector.

1987

Mining operations at the Løkken Works are closed down at the end of the afternoon shift on 10 July.

1986

Orkla and Borregaard merge and form Orkla Borregaard.

The company’s core businesses are branded consumer goods, chemicals and financial investments.

1984

Orkla invests heavily in the media sector, purchasing the publishing company Ernst G. Mortensens Forlag.

1981

Orkla and Outokumpu enter into a 50/50 joint-venture over the mining operations at Løkken Verk.

1980

Salg av større aksjepost i Norsk Hydro gir en solid kapitalinnsprøytning.

Aksjen hadde steget fra 150 til 800 kroner, mye på grunn av oljekrisen.

1979

Jens P. Heyerdahl d.y. becomes the Managing Director of Orkla Industrier.

1977

Orkla becomes a fully Norwegian-owned company when Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken sells its shares.

Financial Investments become a separate business division.

1975

Orkla establishes an office in Oslo with a view to expanding the company’s industrial platform.

1941

Orkla Industrier begins to build its investment portfolio.

1931

The smelting plant in Thamshavn starts up operations, based on the sulphur extraction process developed by Orkla.

1929

Orkla becomes a listed company.

1913

Marcus Wallenberg sr. of the Swedish family of financiers becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors.

1908

HRH King Haakon opens the Thamshavn railway, Norway’s first electric railway.

1904

Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag is established to continue mining operations at Løkken Verk.

1898

Christian Thams starts planning industrial-scale mining operations.

Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab is founded to build a railway from the mine to the port.

1845

The last copper ore is smelted, and in 1851 the transition is made to pyrite and new operations.

1760

The last royally appointed director of the Løkken Works, Hans Rasmussen Müller, dies.

1705

Norwegian citizens become main partners.

1654

First pyrite mining operations at Løkken Verk.

2015

Orkla enters into an agreement to acquire the branded consumer goods company Cederroth.

Through this acquisition, Orkla Home & Personal became one of the leading Nordic suppliers of personal care, health, wound care and household cleaning products. Orkla Home & Personal changes its name to Orkla Care.

2014

Peter A. Ruzicka takes over as Group President and CEO. Orkla enters into an agreement to purchase NP Foods Group.

The acquisition nearly doubles the scale of Orkla’s Baltic operations, making Orkla one of the largest consumer goods companies in the region.

2013

The Orkla Branded Consumer Goods business area is re-organised.

into five units: Orkla Home & Personal, Orkla Confectionery & Snacks, Orkla Foods, Orkla International and Orkla Food Ingredients.

2012

Åge Korsvold takes over as Group President and CEO. Orkla enters into agreements to acquire Norwegian branded consumer goods companies Jordan and Rieber & Søn.

Borregaard is divested and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

2011

Orkla announces that its strategic focus will be on creating growth in its branded consumer goods operations.

Sale of Elkem to China National Bluestar Group Co., Ltd (Bluestar). Sale of most of Orkla’s share portfolio and certain other non-core assets.

2010

Bjørn M. Wiggen takes over as Group President and CEO.

Sale of Orkla’s forest companies Borregaard Skoger AS, AS Børresen and Borregaard Vafos AS.

2009

Swap of assets between Alcoa and Orkla

where Orkla receives Alcoa's ownership interest in Sapa Profiler, and Alcoa receives Orkla's ownership interest in Elkem Aluminium.

2008

The Orkla Branded Consumer Goods business area is co-ordinated in terms of management and organisation.

2007

A deal with Good Energies Investment and Q-Cells makes Orkla the largest owner of Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) with 39,99 % of the shares.

Orkla acquires MTR Foods > in India. MTR Foods' domestic market is Southern India, and the company holds leading positions in its categories.

2006

Orkla Media is sold.

Orkla acquires Dansk Droge > and the Russian chocolate company Krupskaya.

2005

Orkla takes over Elkem/Sapa and Chips Abp.

Dag J. Opedal takes over as Group President and CEO.

2004

Carlsberg Breweries sold. Orkla buys SladCo, a leading Russian manufacturer of chocolate, biscuits and confectionery products.

2001

Finn Jebsen takes over as Group President and CEO.

2000

Orkla enters into a joint venture with Carlsberg A/S and acquires a 40 % interest in Carlsberg Breweries.

Orkla Media purchases the Danish media group Det Berlingske Officin. The sale of NetCom shares yields a gain of NOK 2,239 million.

1997

Orkla Beverages increases its focus on Eastern Europe by acquiring an interest in Baltic Beverages Holding.

Pripps Ringnes is now wholly owned by Orkla.

1995

Orkla takes over the food manufacturing companies Procordia Food and Abba Seafood in Sweden.

The Swedish brewery Pripps and the Norwegian brewery Ringnes merge and are jointly owned by Orkla and Volvo. Orkla invests heavily in Russia through Baltic Beverages Holding.

1992

Orkla Media and Norske Egmont establish the magazine company Hjemmet Mortensen.

1991

A merger with Nora Industrier lays the foundation for focus on the Nordic branded consumer goods sector.

1987

Mining operations at the Løkken Works are closed down at the end of the afternoon shift on 10 July.

1986

Orkla and Borregaard merge and form Orkla Borregaard.

The company’s core businesses are branded consumer goods, chemicals and financial investments.

1984

Orkla invests heavily in the media sector, purchasing the publishing company Ernst G. Mortensens Forlag.

1981

Orkla and Outokumpu enter into a 50/50 joint-venture over the mining operations at Løkken Verk.

1980

Salg av større aksjepost i Norsk Hydro gir en solid kapitalinnsprøytning.

Aksjen hadde steget fra 150 til 800 kroner, mye på grunn av oljekrisen.

1979

Jens P. Heyerdahl d.y. becomes the Managing Director of Orkla Industrier.

1977

Orkla becomes a fully Norwegian-owned company when Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken sells its shares.

Financial Investments become a separate business division.

1975

Orkla establishes an office in Oslo with a view to expanding the company’s industrial platform.

1941

Orkla Industrier begins to build its investment portfolio.

1931

The smelting plant in Thamshavn starts up operations, based on the sulphur extraction process developed by Orkla.

1929

Orkla becomes a listed company.

1913

Marcus Wallenberg sr. of the Swedish family of financiers becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors.

1908

HRH King Haakon opens the Thamshavn railway, Norway’s first electric railway.

1904

Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag is established to continue mining operations at Løkken Verk.

1898

Christian Thams starts planning industrial-scale mining operations.

Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab is founded to build a railway from the mine to the port.

1845

The last copper ore is smelted, and in 1851 the transition is made to pyrite and new operations.

1760

The last royally appointed director of the Løkken Works, Hans Rasmussen Müller, dies.

1705

Norwegian citizens become main partners.

1654

First pyrite mining operations at Løkken Verk.