Dr. Scholl's is a

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

and orthopedic

foot care Podiatry ( ), also know as podiatric medicine and surgery ( ), is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US ...

brand originating in the United States, marketed in some countries as simply "Scholl". Since 2021, global rights to the brand have been owned by investment firm Yellow Wood Partners through subsidiary Scholl's Wellness Company, having purchased the North American rights from

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

in North America in 2019, and the international rights from

Reckitt Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition pro ...

in 2021.

History

Podiatrist A podiatrist ( ) is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for ...

William Mathias Scholl started the brand in 1906. He is credited with designing over 1,000 foot care products. Scholl's company was named to the

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

in 1971, the same year it went public.

Dr. Scholl's brand

Schering-Plough Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it becam ...

bought the Dr. Scholl's brand in 1979. In 2009, Merck & Co. purchased the Dr. Scholl's brand as part of its acquisition of Schering-Plough. Under Merck & Co., Schering-Plough imported the product line from China and had a North American distribution agreement for footwear with the Brown Shoe Company (now

Caleres Caleres Inc. is an American footwear company that owns and operates a variety of footwear brands. Its headquarters is located in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

bought Dr. Scholl's in 2014 as part of its acquisition of Merck & Co's consumer health unit. This acquisition gave them the rights to the business in North and South America. In July 2019, Bayer sold Dr. Scholl's to Yellow Wood Partners for $585 million. Yellow Wood established a new company, Scholl's Wellness Company to run the brand.

Scholl brand

In 1984, Schering-Plough sold the global brand and non-North American operations to European Home Products (later

SSL International SSL International plc was a British manufacturer of healthcare products. Its best known brands were Durex and Dr. Scholl's, Scholl; other significant brands were Sauber and Mister Baby. The company's name was an abbreviation of ''Seton Scholl Lo ...

), who manufactured and distributed footwear and foot care products under the Scholl brand. In 2010, Reckitt Benckiser Group purchased the Scholl brand from SSL International. In 2014, Aurelius, a German private equity firm, purchased the international rights to Scholl Footwear from Reckitt Benckiser, excluding the Americas. In June 2021,

sold Scholl, including the Amope brand, to Yellow Wood Partners, bringing both the Scholl and Dr. Scholl's businesses together for the first time in over 40 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Scholl's Shoe companies of the United Kingdom Shoe companies of the United States American companies established in 1906 Clothing companies established in 1906 Health care companies established in 1906 Companies based in Chicago Personal care brands American brands Former Reckitt brands Former Bayer brands 1906 establishments in Illinois