178:, which was first made in 1851, and the German brand, "Erdal", which went on sale in 1901, Kiwi's introduction in 1906 made it the first shoe polish to resemble modern varieties, aimed primarily at inducing shine. Ramsay and McKellar launched an improved formula, marketing it in Melbourne as "Kiwi Boot Polish". Ramsay loaded boxes of the product on to his horse and cart and sold it to farmers to protect their boots. Ramsay named it "Kiwi" after the
246:
36:
185:
Kiwi was a major improvement on previous brands. It preserved shoe leather, made it shine, and restored colour. By the time Kiwi Dark Tan was released in 1908, it incorporated agents that added suppleness and water resistance. Australian-made boot polish was then considered the world's best. A range
325:
ruled that Sara Lee had to divest its ownership of these companies in 1994, to prevent it from becoming a monopoly. Since that ruling, Sara Lee has been prevented from acquiring any further assets or firms associated with chemical shoe care products in the United States without prior commission
369:
Kiwi has been the dominant shoe polish in many countries, including the United
Kingdom and the United States for much of its life. As of 2013 Kiwi remained the predominant shoe polish brand in most of the world, being sold in over 180 countries and holding a 53% market share worldwide. In
263:, including Kiwi Boot Polish Co. (1913–1916) and Kiwi Polish Co. (1916–1971). The company then joined with Nicholas International Ltd., a Melbourne-based pharmaceutical company producing international brands such as Aspro and Rennie. The new company was renamed Nicholas Kiwi.
275:. That facility manufactured for the UK market and exported the Kiwi brand to much of Europe and the Middle East. In the mid-1970s, as part of a major streamlining, the UK factory was closed, and production was switched to France. The UK operation moved to
146:
in World War I. However it announced its exit from the UK market in 2022. Soon afterwards in 2023 Kiwi announced it will be ending the brand in the US by June 2024, sunsetting certain products before the 2023 year even ended.
258:
Over the years, Kiwi has been owned by a variety of corporations. For the first six decades of its existence, it was one of the iterations of an
Australian corporation with Kiwi in its name, all based in the state of
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361:
On 4 April 2011, Sara Lee announced that it had completed its sale of its global shoe care business, in a majority of countries, to S. C. Johnson.
792:
389:
In
December 2022, S. C. Johnson announced that it had exited the UK shoe care market, blaming the effect of changes in work patterns caused by the
653:
294:, where Kiwi had other product interests. Following a global merger with Nicholas Laboratories, the UK head office was again relocated to
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321:, including the Cherry Blossom and Meltonian brands. Sara Lee already owned the Kiwi brand, among others. The U.S.
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Its success in
Australia was matched overseas after it was adopted by both the British and United States armies in
778:
583:
487:
163:
135:
600:- Introduction to a report on Sara Lee (owners of Kiwi shoe polish) and the shoe polish market in general.
676:"Kiwi, being the name of a species of bird, became the brand of a product, and then evolved into a verb"
622:"Conclusions of a report on Sara Lee (owners of Kiwi shoe polish) and the shoe polish market in general"
317:
In 1991, a subsidiary of the Sara Lee
Corporation (Sara Lee) acquired part of the shoe care business of
996:
330:
in the United
Kingdom also investigated the potential monopoly of Sara Lee in the shoe care industry.
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becoming, effectively, a sales and marketing office, with distribution contracted to a third party.
197:
A rival brand at the time was "Cobra Boot Polish", based in Sydney. Cobra was noted for a series of
162:
The polish was originally made by an
Australian company, which first marketed the product in 1906.
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826:
821:
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207:, starting in 1909, using a character called "Chunder Loo of Akim Foo". (The Australian slang word
170:
in
Australia, Hamilton McKellar, began making boot polish and other products in a small factory in
702:
942:
271:
In the UK, Kiwi polish was manufactured for many years at the company's
British headquarters in
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in 1904. While a number of older leather preserving products existed, including the Irish brand
138:. Kiwi has grown to be the dominant shoe polish in many countries since it was used by both the
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In 1980, production for the UK market moved back to the UK, and was housed in a factory near
20:
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8:
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378:, Kiwi has become such a household name for shoe polish that the word "kiwi" has been
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The spread of Kiwi shoe polish around the world enhanced the popular appeal of the
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In 1984, it was acquired by
American-based Consolidated Foods Corporation (now
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733:"Kiwi shoe polish to disappear from UK shelves - thanks to Covid and trainers"
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678:. Universiti Putra Malaysia EduTrain Interactive Learning (PowerPoint).
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646:"Sara Lee Completes Sale of Global Shoe Care Business to SC Johnson"
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353:, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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KiwiPhile - how Kiwi shoe polish helped choose a national symbol
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310:), who eventually sold the Nicholas pharmaceutical products to
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393:, and the rise of casual shoes that do not require polishing.
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610:
Federal Trade Commission on Sara Lee's potential monopoly
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211:, meaning "to vomit", possibly originated through the
182:, the home country of his wife, Annie Elizabeth Meek.
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356:
333:
As of 2005 it was manufactured in Australia, Canada,
480:
Imagination - 100 Years of Bright Ideas in Australia
454:"Information on the burial place of William Ramsay"
703:"The mysterious disappearance of Kiwi shoe polish"
186:of colours became available, and exports began to
471:Australian Government article on Kiwi shoe polish
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800:
134:, originally developed in Australia in 1906 by
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298:, at the Nicholas building on the Bath Road.
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779:
34:
700:
428:"100 Years of Kiwi Show Polish 1906–2006"
627:. Competition Commission. Archived from
314:of Switzerland but kept the Kiwi range.
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244:
559:"Kiwi - Kiwi and people: early history"
446:
391:COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
301:
253:
969:
593:
591:
538:from the original on 27 September 2013
534:. Australian Dictionary of Biography.
434:from the original on 28 September 2013
286:. The UK head office was relocated to
150:As of 2023 the Kiwi brand is owned by
774:
713:from the original on 11 December 2022
682:from the original on 30 November 2018
523:
521:
403:List of oldest companies in Australia
180:flightless bird native to New Zealand
556:
240:
701:Wilkinson, Carl (8 December 2022).
588:
506:from the original on 2 January 2006
386:, meaning "to polish one's shoes".
13:
982:Former Sara Lee Corporation brands
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357:S. C. Johnson (April 2011–present)
237:as New Zealand's national symbol.
14:
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249:Can of Kiwi shoe polish in 2008
977:S. C. Johnson & Son brands
652:. Sara Lee Inc. Archived from
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577:
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528:"William Ramsay (1868–1914)".
492:
464:
420:
1:
1002:2011 mergers and acquisitions
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81:; 118 years ago
7:
992:Products introduced in 1906
531:Ramsay, William (1868–1914)
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837:Samuel Curtis Johnson Jr.
816:Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr.
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832:Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr.
827:Herbert Fisk Johnson Sr.
822:Herbert Fisk Johnson III
323:Federal Trade Commission
802:S. C. Johnson & Son
60:S. C. Johnson & Son
957:S.C. Johnson Floor Wax
598:Competition Commission
500:"Take Our Word For It"
328:Competition Commission
250:
430:. 18 September 2010.
267:Manufacture in the UK
248:
130:is a global brand of
21:Kiwi (disambiguation)
565:on 27 September 2013
319:Reckitt & Colman
308:Sara Lee Corporation
302:Sara Lee (1984–2011)
254:Australian ownership
166:and fellow Scottish
106:Sara Lee Corporation
19:For other uses, see
382:into a verb in the
204:The Sydney Bulletin
194:, and New Zealand.
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201:advertisements in
192:continental Europe
152:S. C. Johnson
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997:Australian brands
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930:Scrubbing Bubbles
890:Janitor in a Drum
477:file, taken from
241:Corporate history
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16:Shoe polish brand
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764:Official website
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40:The Kiwi logo
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741:. Retrieved
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684:. Retrieved
670:
658:. Retrieved
654:the original
649:
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629:the original
616:
605:
579:
569:26 September
567:. Retrieved
563:the original
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542:26 September
540:. Retrieved
530:
508:. Retrieved
494:
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458:the original
448:
438:26 September
436:. Retrieved
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365:Market share
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46:Product type
25:
987:Shoe polish
938:Toilet Duck
686:30 November
510:16 December
380:genericised
228:World War I
217:Chunder Loo
144:U.S. Armies
132:shoe polish
50:Shoe polish
971:Categories
925:Saran Wrap
488:1740661060
414:References
337:, France,
168:expatriate
76:Introduced
900:Mr Muscle
874:Fantastik
852:Armstrong
818:(founder)
743:7 January
717:7 January
376:Singapore
343:Indonesia
288:Maidstone
172:Melbourne
97:Worldwide
70:Australia
856:Bayfresh
711:Archived
680:Archived
650:Sara Lee
536:Archived
504:Archived
432:Archived
397:See also
372:Malaysia
347:Pakistan
335:Honduras
261:Victoria
117:kiwicare
886:Grab-it
660:31 July
277:Yateley
209:chunder
199:cartoon
188:Britain
176:"Punch"
158:History
140:British
112:Website
94:Markets
84: (
66:Country
953:Ziploc
948:Windex
943:Vanish
915:Pledge
878:Future
861:Baygon
846:Brands
809:People
486:
296:Slough
273:Ealing
934:Shout
882:Glade
869:Drano
865:Brite
632:(PDF)
625:(PDF)
339:India
312:Roche
290:, in
56:Owner
920:Raid
910:Oust
905:OFF!
895:Kiwi
745:2023
719:2023
688:2018
662:2022
571:2013
544:2013
512:2005
484:ISBN
440:2013
374:and
351:Peru
292:Kent
235:kiwi
221:spew
219:and
142:and
128:Kiwi
119:.com
86:1906
79:1906
29:Kiwi
475:PDF
223:.)
215:of
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88:)
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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