Helen of Troy Limited
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Template:NASDAQ S&P 600 component | |
| Founded | 1968 in El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Founder | Gerald Rubin |
| Headquarters | Hamilton, Bermuda El Paso, Texas (operational) |
Key people | |
| Products | Housewares, Health and Home, and Beauty products |
| Revenue | Template:US$ (2021) |
| Template:US$ (2018) | |
Number of employees | 1,903 (2023) |
| Website | www |
Helen of Troy Limited is a U.S.-based publicly listed company specializing in the design, development, and global marketing of consumer brand-name products across housewares, health and home, and beauty categories. The company owns and licenses a variety of brands and serves as the parent organization for entities including OXO International Ltd., Kaz, Inc., Steel Technology, LLC, and Idelle Labs, Ltd. Its corporate headquarters are situated in Hamilton, Bermuda, while operational activities are centered in El Paso, Texas.
History
Established in 1968 by Gerald Rubin as a wig retailer in Downtown El Paso, Helen of Troy broadened its product range to include hair appliances by 1975. A pivotal moment occurred in 1980 when Jerry Rubin, son of the founder, negotiated a licensing deal with Vidal Sassoon, facilitating entry into branded health and beauty markets. The company’s expansion strategy has largely relied on acquiring global brand rights or complete acquisitions within housewares, health and home care, beauty, and nutritional supplement sectors.
In 1993, Helen of Troy undertook a significant tax inversion by restructuring its corporate domicile to Bermuda—a transaction that subsequently influenced U.S. federal tax regulations commonly referred to as the "Helen of Troy Rules."
Major acquisitions underpinning the company’s growth include the purchase of OXO International in 2004 for $273.2 million, broadening its presence in household tools; acquisition of Kaz, Inc. in 2011 for $271.5 million, which added licensed brands such as Vicks, Braun, and Honeywell to its health care and home environment portfolio; and procurement of the PUR water filtration business from Procter & Gamble in 2012.
In 2014, leadership shifted as Jerry Rubin stepped down from his CEO role and was succeeded by Julien R. Mininberg, who previously led the Healthcare/Home Environment division.
Continuing its expansion through acquisitions, Helen of Troy acquired Steel Technology, LLC—known for the Hydro Flask brand—in 2016 for about $210 million and later purchased Osprey Packs, Inc. in 2021 for $414 million.
These strategic moves have enhanced Helen of Troy’s competitive positioning across multiple consumer product categories on a global scale.
Company structure
Helen of Troy operates through three main divisions: Health & Home, Housewares, and Beauty. The company exited the Nutritional Supplements market by divesting that segment in December 2017. For Fiscal Year 2018, it recorded $1.49 billion in revenue from ongoing operations.
As of February 28, 2018, the workforce numbered roughly 1,489 full-time employees worldwide. Its U.S. headquarters along with the Shared Services Center are located in northwest El Paso. Distribution centers are situated in Olive Branch and Southaven (Mississippi), as well as Arlington (Tennessee). Additional offices serve critical markets including Massachusetts, Colorado, New York City, Mexico City, Toronto, Sheffield (UK), Bussigny-près-Lausanne (Switzerland), Macau, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
The company predominantly outsources manufacturing to facilities based in China and Mexico for finished products spanning Beauty appliances, Housewares, Healthcare devices, Water Filtration systems, and Home Environment goods. Conversely, North American grooming and skincare products within the Beauty segment are primarily produced domestically. Between fiscal years 2016 and 2018, suppliers from Asia accounted for approximately 70 to 74 percent of all finished goods purchased by Helen of Troy.
Brands
Helen of Troy Limited, along with its affiliated companies, is engaged in the design, development, importation, marketing, and distribution of branded merchandise across three main sectors: Health & Home, Housewares, and Beauty.
Within the Health & Home category, the company provides a variety of healthcare and home comfort products. These include items such as thermometers, blood pressure monitors, humidifiers, water filtration units, air purifiers, heaters, fans, and dehumidifiers. Notable brands in this segment are PUR, Honeywell, Braun, and Vicks.
The Housewares division encompasses a range of kitchen and household products including food preparation tools, storage containers, cleaning supplies, shower organizers, child feeding products, insulated drinkware, and travel mugs. This segment features brands like OXO (with sub-brands Good Grips and OXO tot), Hydro Flask, and Soft Works.
In the Beauty sector, Helen of Troy Limited offers a selection of hair care devices for both retail consumers and professionals. The product lineup includes grooming brushes and tools, decorative hair accessories, as well as liquid styling products marketed under the Hot Tools and Drybar brand names.