Central Garden & Pet vs Procter & Gamble: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Central Garden & Pet and Procter & Gamble side by side

1. 1837Procter & Gamble

   Company Founded in Cincinnati

   William Procter and James Gamble sign a partnership agreement on October 31, 1837, establishing Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, with combined capital of approximately 7,192 dollars.

2. 1862Procter & Gamble

   Civil War Army Contracts Fuel Expansion

   P&G wins contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles, generating significant revenue that enables manufacturing expansion and introduces millions of American soldiers to P&G products for the first time.

3. 1882Procter & Gamble

   Ivory Soap Launches Nationally

   Harley Procter and James Norris Gamble introduce Ivory soap, promoted as 99 and 44/100 percent pure and notable for its floating characteristic.

4. 1890Procter & Gamble

   Company Incorporates and Expands Nationally

   Procter & Gamble incorporates in Ohio with capital of 4.5 million dollars and begins building manufacturing capacity outside Cincinnati, establishing the operational infrastructure for national distribution that the Ivory soap advertising campaign had created…

5. 1911Procter & Gamble

   Crisco Shortening Introduced

   P&G launches Crisco vegetable shortening, the first hydrogenated vegetable oil product marketed to American consumers as an alternative to lard and butter.

6. 1931Procter & Gamble

   Brand Management System Invented

   P&G executive Neil McElroy writes a famous internal memo proposing that each brand have its own dedicated management team responsible for competing against all rivals including other P&G brands.

7. 1946Procter & Gamble

   Tide Detergent Launches

   P&G introduces Tide synthetic detergent, which rapidly becomes the best-selling laundry product in the United States and establishes the template for all future P&G brand development: superior product performance, heavy consumer advertising, and sustained mark…

8. 1955Central Garden & Pet

   Central Garden Supply founded

   The business starts as Central Garden Supply, a lawn-and-garden distributor in Lafayette, California.

9. 1961Procter & Gamble

   Pampers Diapers Introduced

   P&G introduces Pampers disposable diapers, transforming the infant care category and creating what will become one of the company's most globally significant brands.

10. 1980Central Garden & Pet

    William E. Brown takes control

    William E. Brown acquires control and becomes chairman, beginning the company's national expansion.

11. 1993Central Garden & Pet

    Initial public offering

    Central goes public on Nasdaq to fund the expansion of its distribution network.

12. 1998Central Garden & Pet

    Pennington Seed acquired

    After buying pet brands such as Kaytee, Four Paws and Nylabone, Central acquires Pennington Seed, anchoring its garden brands business.

13. 2005Procter & Gamble

    Gillette Acquired for 57 Billion Dollars

    P&G completes the acquisition of Gillette Company for approximately 57 billion dollars in an all-stock transaction, adding Gillette razors, Braun appliances, Oral-B dental products, and Duracell batteries to the P&G portfolio.

14. 2006Central Garden & Pet

    Acquired Farnam Companies

    Central Garden & Pet acquired Farnam Companies.

15. 2014Procter & Gamble

    Portfolio Transformation Announced

    CEO A.G. Lafley announces P&G's plan to divest more than 100 brands and focus the company on approximately 80 core brands in ten product categories.

16. 2018Central Garden & Pet

    Bell Nursery Acquired

    Central Garden and Pet bought the plant grower Bell Nursery in 2018.

17. 2019Central Garden & Pet

    Timothy Cofer becomes CEO

    Timothy Cofer became CEO of Central Garden & Pet in 2019. CEO from October 14, 2019 until October 6, 2023, when he left for Keurig Dr Pepper.

18. 2019Procter & Gamble

    Portfolio Simplification Completed

    P&G completes the brand portfolio simplification, having divested more than 100 brands and consolidated around approximately 65 core brands.

19. 2021Central Garden & Pet

    Green Garden Products acquired

    Central buys Green Garden Products, owner of Ferry-Morse packet seeds, for $532 million.

20. 2024Central Garden & Pet

    Niko Lahanas becomes CEO

    Former CFO Nicholas 'Niko' Lahanas becomes CEO on September 29, 2024, after Beth Springer's interim term.

21. 2024Procter & Gamble

    Fiscal Year 2024 Net Sales Reach Approximately 84 Billion Dollars

    P&G reports fiscal year 2024 net sales of $84.0 billion and net earnings attributable to P&G of about $14.9 billion, and raises its quarterly dividend 7% to $1.0065 per share, its 68th consecutive annual increase.

22. 2025Central Garden & Pet

    $3.129 billion in net sales

    Fiscal 2025 net sales are $3.129 billion with record GAAP EPS of $2.55; in December Central buys the U.S. assets of Champion USA (JustiFLY).

23. 2026Central Garden & Pet

    Pet distribution exit and TRIXIE deal

    Central moves pet distribution into a joint venture with Phillips Pet Food & Supplies (April) and agrees to buy 80% of Germany's TRIXIE for up to $452 million (EUR 400 million) (July).

Acquisitions

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