This Popular Vacuum Cleaner Brand Actually Owned By A Chinese Company

A major vacuum cleaner brand on the market today, Hoover has a long and storied history dating back to the early 1900s. In 1907, a nighttime janitor called James Murray Spangler from Canton, Ohio dreamt up a device to make cleaning easier. He was struggling from asthma, and the dust from the carpet he was sweeping wasn't helping the condition. So alongside a fan, tin soap box, broom handle, and sateen pillow case, the Spangler created a little suction sweeper.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the means to mass produce his invention. That's when he partnered with William Hoover, who was running a local leather goods shop. He agreed to work with Spangler and went on to found the Electric Suction Sweeper Company — later renamed to The Hoover Company — to sell the product. When Spangler's patent application for the suction sweeper was approved in 1908, he sold it to Hoover but remained actively involved in the company as his partner.

From the Hoover Company's humble start as a janitor's tinker device, it didn't take long for the vacuum cleaner to become a household staple, all thanks to Hoover's marketing and dealer network strategy. Although Hoover has American roots, you might be surprised to learn that today, it's now owned by a Chinese company: Techtronic Industries (TTI).

Hoover's current owner, Techtronic Industries (TTI) is based in Hong Kong and is a global supplier of power and hand tools, outdoor power equipment, and floor care appliances, primarily for markets found in North America, Australia, and Europe. While TTI itself isn't widely known among consumers, it's actually the same company behind some major tool brands like Ryobi, Milwaukee, and AEG.

TTI was originally formed in 1985 through a partnership between German entrepreneur Horst Julius Pudwill and Roy Chi Ping Chung. It started out as a supplier of cordless power tools for a major distributor in the United States. Then, three years after the company's foundation, its first manufacturing plant in Dongguan, China, began operating. TTI officially became a public company in 1990 after it was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Its current major shareholder is the Pudwill family, but companies from Europe and North America also hold portions of the company's stocks.

The relationship between Hoover and TTI began in 2007. That year, Hoover's then-owner, Whirlpool Corporation, and TTI finalized the acquisition for the vacuum company. This prompted TTI to establish TTI Floor Care North America and place Hoover under its wing. Today, TTI Floor Care North America, with its main office in Charlotte, North Carolina, manages two other vacuum brands, Oreck and Dirt Devil.