Largest Private Companies in the World – A private company is a business owned by non-governmental entities, small group of individuals, private investors, or family members. These companies also contribute in a country’s economic growth. They are controlled by founders, employees and private investors.
Private companies are of different types like sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, Ltd., Pvt. Ltd., etc. The private companies have many benefits like the decision making power remains within the founders, financial reports and strategies remain private, can raise capital through private funding, there is no need to disclose company terms publicly, etc.
On the other side, these companies might face funding challenges but can get private investors, bank loans and venture capitals. Here in this post I have listed some of the largest private companies in the world.
Largest Private Companies in the World
C&S Wholesale Grocers
It’s an American wholesale distributor company which deals with food and grocery items. Its headquarter is located in Hampshire, U.S. The company was founded in the year 1918. The company operates and supports corporate grocery stores and offers independent franchisees under a chain style model.
C&S has a large supply chain for grocery items, from household to military bases. The company deals with items like dairy items, seafoods, meat, organic fresh foods, beauty care items, seasonal foods, etc.
Vitol
It’s a Dutch commodity trading company which deals with businesses like shipping, refining, energy, power generation, retail, logistics, trading, renewable energy, mining, etc. The company was founded in the year 1966 with its headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland.
The company also trades in various fields like power, natural gas, coal, gasoline, LPC, LNG, base oils, carbon emissions, ethanol, methanol, etc. It also supplies fuel to shipping, airlines and government organizations. It is one of the large privately held companies in the world.
Skanska
According to Construction Global Magazine, Skanska is the 5th largest construction company in the world. Skanska is a Swedish multinational construction and development company with its headquarter located at Stockholm, Sweden.
The company was founded in the year 1887 in Sweden. The company majorly deals with commercial property, housing home property and construction property. The company also played an important role in constructing important infrastructure in Sweden like roads, bridges, power plants, offices and housing.
Reyes Holdings
It’s an American food and beverage distributor and wholesaler company which is also in the list of large privately owned companies in the world. The company was founded in the year 1976 with its headquarter in Illinois, U.S.
It serves bars, restaurants, retailers and convenience stores nationwide. Its subdivision ‘Reyes Beverage Group’ is a leading beer distributor in the U.S. It also distributes Coca-Cola brands under the subsidiary ‘Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling’.
Albertsons
It’s an American grocery company which operates one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S. The company has its headquarters in Idaho, U.S. and was founded in the year 1939. It deals with some of the popular grocery items like meat, seafoods, fruits, vegetables, bakery, dairy items, eggs, beverages, beer, cookies, personal care, health care items, etc. With more than 2000 stores it is the second-largest supermarket chain in North America after Kroger.
Trafigura
It’s a Singaporean multinational commodity trading and logistics house company. The company was founded in the year 1993 with its headquarters in Singapore. Trafigura deals with products like metals, minerals, power, energy, shipping, oil, petroleum, etc. The company also owns storage terminals, pipelines and shipping assets. It also operates mines and recycling facilities. It is also in the list of largest private companies.
Aldi
Aldi is a German discount grocery supermarket chain which deals with items like meat, dairy, eggs, seafoods, bakery, snacks, beverages, pet supplies, baby items, household essential items, etc.
The company was founded in the year 1946 with its headquarters in Essen, Germany. The company operates in more than 12000 stores in 18 countries. Today it is one of the world’s leading grocery retailers competing with brands like Kroger, Walmart and Lidl.
Ernst & Young
It’s a global multinational professional services company which deals with business services like consulting, audit, assurance, tax services, business strategy services and other advisory services. It provides services to governments, corporations, large organizations and high net worth individuals.
This company is also one of the largest professional services networks in the world. The company was founded in the year 1989 with its headquarters in London, U.K. In terms of biggest private companies in the world ratings, I would give 4.3 out of 5 to this brand.
Glencore
Glencore is an Anglo-Swiss multinational mining and commodity trading company with its headquarters in Switzerland. The company was founded in the year 1974. The company deals with commodity trading on minerals like copper, nickel, zinc, lead, iron ore, cobalt, oil and agricultural products. It also deals with energy products like coal and oil. It also invests in metal recycling and low-carbon solutions.
Kroger
It’s an American retail company that operates supermarkets and multi-department stores. It was founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger in Ohio, U.S. It operates more than 2500 stores under various banners and subsidiaries like Ralphs, King Soopers, Harris Teeter and Fred Meyer.
The company has key revenue streams from grocery, retail, pharmacy, healthcare, private label brands, fuel centers and gas stations. It is also in the list of most valuable private companies.
Schwarz Group
It’s a multinational company that operates retail and grocery shops around the globe specially in Europe. The company was founded in the year 1930 with its headquarters in Neckarsulm, Germany. The company is Europe’s largest retailer and now expanding in the U.S. market. Schwarz operates its grocery shops under Kaufland and Lidl which are popular German supermarkets chain.
Cargill
It’s an American private global food company which was founded in the year 1865 with its headquarters in Minnesota, USA. Cargill is one of the largest companies in America which is spread globally across 70 countries.
The company deals with products like agriculture, grain, oilseeds, protein, animal nutrition, food products, and financial & industrial services. The company is also spread in pharmaceutical, bio industrial and transportation sectors.
Blue Origin
It’s an American private sub-orbital spaceflight services and aerospace manufacturer company. The company was founded in the year 2000 by Jeff Bezos who is also the founder of Amazon. This private aerospace company focused on rocket development, space exploration and orbital infrastructure.
The company has its headquarters in Washington, USA. The key revenue comes from space tourism, satellite launch, aerospace development and NASA contracts. The company is also known for its reusable rocket engines. Its New Shepard rocket offers space tourism services and successfully completed many missions. It is also in the list of largest private companies in the world.
