MRF (originally Madras Rubber Factory) has been India’s largest producer of tyres for decades.
It’s subdivision Funskool is a collaboration with Hasbro and manufactures toys and games under licence for Disney, Warner Brothers, Hasbro, Lego, Hornby, Ravensburger, Tomy Toys etc.
Also MRF licence their brand to manufacturers of sporting gear, principally cricket and while their rubber products are ubiquitous, the profile of the MRF brand on the subcontinent is probably more for the pantheon of elite cricketers they sponsor.
In Korea, Kyobo is the premier chain of bookstores–and insurance. Nonghyup Bank, which originally specialized in farm and agricultural banking needs, also has a large chain of grocery stores. And Samsung, the electronics manufactirer, has a string of upscale department stores.
Companies like Sony in Japan and Hyundai in Korea are effectively the same animal as “conglomerates” like 1990s-era GE in the USA, or “holding companies” in post 2000s USA. That is, they started out long ago in one line of business then kept growing by buying other unrelated companies in other unrelated lines of business and partly or wholly integrating the aquisition into the new parent.
That’s a very different thing from a company of any scale that organically created multiple seemingly unrelated product lines.
At various times in various countries there’s been a fashion for vertical integration, horizontal fan-out, or very narrow focus in one or both directions. In many cases this has more to do with their home country’s finance industry’s fashions and the regulation thereof, than the commercial logic of the firms themselves. With a side order of whether the company is mostly / wholly privately held or publicly traded.
Ultimately it’s all about how a profitable company can best deploy freshly acquired retained profit and perhaps attract outside investment in the ceaseless pursuit of further growth for growth’s sake. The answer to “How best?” depends a lot on when, where, and in what lines of business the company operates now.
For nearly any company mentioned upthread, a quick look at wiki will show the corporate history. Seemingly unrelated horizontal lines are rarely organic growth.
The prior (WAG 1880 - 1950) trends toward vertical integration have left legacies of outfits running, say, both steel mills and white good factories. Which may have been created organically at the time, one to feed or consume from the other, but are now run as a de facto holding company arrangement with no goods flow between them.
Rolls-Royce started as a car manufacturer, then began making aircraft engines during World War II. The auto division was subsumed into BMW decades ago, while the aerospace division now operates as an independent company (Rolls-Royce plc).
AMF started out making cigarettes but became known for bowling equipment, Sunfish sailboats, and Harley Davidson motorcycles. They tanked in the 80s and after major selloffs they now just make bowling gear.
Many American companies shifted from what they were doing to manufacturing armaments or whatever war materiel during the Second World War.
And lighters.
Nokia used to make gumboots as well as electronics.
Hitachi makes construction equipment and vibrators.
Virgin records, airlines, online casino, hotels, publishing …
Trump casino, steaks, vodka, University …
There was a Bic ad in New Zealand in the 80s that had these lyrics:
The lighter you light with
The pen that you write with
The shaver so quick
Another great Bic
So pick
The one
That’s right
For you
The Bic things in life cost so little
The Ford motor company started the Kingsford Charcoal business to use up wood waste from producing the Model T. It was sold off after Henry Ford died and is now owned by Clorox.
Guinness makes beer and … manages, certifies, and publishes World Records.
Not since 2001, when Guinness sold it off.
Coors – the beer people – also make alumina porcelain labware, notably crucibles. I learned this when I was growing laser crystals and was having expensive fused silica crucubles being made for me until someone pointed out that they were a standard Coors product.
Apparently they made their own ceramic fittings for their beer making equipment, and branched out.
Mentioned earlier.
Nitpick: GE sold their appliance business to a Chinese company, Haier, years ago. The stuff is still sold under the GE label - they have the right to use it for another 40 years or so.
Done Deal: GE Sells Its Appliances Business To Haier For $5.6 Billion | GE News
Space tourism. Although from what Wikipedia says, Virgin Group only owns a minority share of Virgin Galactic. In fact, they should be disqualified for this question since they really are a conglomerate.
Add cruise ships to the list. I’d like to go on one some day, actually.