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Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational consumer products conglomerate headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. It was established in 2005 as the successor to Rayovac Corporation.
The company manufactures and markets home appliances under the Remington, Black & Decker, George Foreman, and Russell Hobbs brand names, lawn and garden care products under the Diazinon and Garden Safe brand names, and under the Cutter and Repel brand names. Spectrum owns several pet care companies, both in the aquarium supply and companion animal trades. In the aquarium business, Spectrum owns Tetra, Whisper, Marineland, Perfecto, Jungle, Instant Ocean, Visi-Therm, and other product lines. Companion animal lines consist of Dingo, Nature's Miracle, Lazy Pet, Wonderbox, Furminator, Iams, Eukanuba and others. Both aquarium lines and companion lines are concentrated into Spectrum's United Pet Group based in Cincinnati.
Neither Ramsay nor the other shareholders knew how to make batteries, but Ramsay's leadership kept the enterprise alive, by having assembly line staff make the "Fleur de lis" branded batteries to a lower standard. Ramsay's fiery self-belief in the industry led him to contract a university chemist C. F. Burgess to concoct a battery to rival those made in America and Europe. Burgess actually succeeded, to his own financial cost, and the company survived, with him becoming a shareholder; but after a fire destroyed the plant in 1915, he left to found his own successful battery company. French battery production accelerated through World War I, and by 1920, the French Battery Company had US$2.74 million in sales and 600 employees, and 1,000 employees in 1931.
In 1930, the company name was changed to Ray-O-Vac, an allusion to the then-new technology of and electron rays. In 1933, the company patented the first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid. Rayovac company history timeline () During World War II, Rayovac supplied the United States military with nearly 500 million batteries. As a result of this, they were awarded eight Army-Navy "E" awards for major contributions to victory.
In 2003, Rayovac decided to diversify, and acquired non-battery related businesses including Remington Products and United Pet Group. In 2004, Rayovac successfully underbid Energizer (Eveready) as RadioShack's battery supplier and produced the "Enercell" brand of battery sold exclusively at RadioShack. In January 2005, Rayovac purchased United Industries Corporation for about $476 million in cash and stock. Brands included in United Industries were Vigoro, Diazinon and Sta-Green lawn products, Cutter, Cyhalothrin and Repel insect control products, and pet supply products with the Marineland, Perfecto, and Eight in One brands.
In 2005, Tetra, a major provider of pet-fish products, was acquired. This diversification prompted the name change from Rayovac to Spectrum Brands. Rayovac also bought other battery companies including VARTA, Ningbo Baowang, and Microlite S.A. The Microlite acquisition included the rights to the Rayovac name in Brazil, giving the company worldwide rights to the Rayovac name. With this acquisition, Rayovac consolidated its presence in the majority of countries in Latin America.
Rayovac, as a division of Spectrum Brands, remained headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, along with Remington, while parent company Spectrum Brands was headquartered in Georgia. On April 15, 2010, Spectrum Brands announced that it would be moving its corporate headquarters back to Madison; Spectrum Brands moved its headquarters to the suburb of Middleton, Wisconsin, in October 2013.
Spectrum Brands finalized a merger with Russell Hobbs, Inc. on June 16, 2010, to form a new $3 billion consumer products company. Russell Hobbs' brands include George Foreman Grill, Toastmaster, Black & Decker Home appliances, and Russell Hobbs. In 2012, Spectrum also purchased many non-tool assets from Stanley Black & Decker, primarily hardware, plumbing, and locks. While the Russel Hobbs purchase brought Black & Decker licensing to Spectrum (for small appliances), the HHI purchase did not involve brands marketed under the Black & Decker name. In 2022, Spectrum began negotiations to sell the HHI division to Swedish lockmaker Assa Abloy.
On April 28, 2015, Spectrum Brands entered the automotive supply business by acquiring Armored Auto group.
On January 16, 2018, the Rayovac division was bought by Energizer for $2 billion. On February 26, 2018, Spectrum Brands announced it was merging with controlling shareholder HRG Group The move would not affect the pending sale of its battery division to Energizer. Spectrum management was expected to run the merged entity. The combined company is to be named Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. and trade under the ticker symbol SPB. The company will remain in Middleton.
In September 2021, Spectrum sold its Hardware and Home Improvement ("HHI") division to Assa Abloy for $4.3 billion. HHI has a varied portfolio of products, including patented SmartKey technology and electronic, smart and biometric locks. Key brands include Kwikset, Baldwin, Weiser, Pfister and National Hardware. HHI is headquartered in Lake Forest, California with some 7,500 employees worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines.
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