Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc is a major energy company, one of the top four vertically integrated private sector oil/gas companies in the world (along with BP, ExxonMobil, and Total). Shell also has a significant petrochemicals business (Shell Chemicals) and an embryonic renewable energy sector developing wind and solar opportunities. Its corporate headquarters are in The Hague, Netherlands, with legal headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
Vertically integrated - BP - ExxonMobil - Total - Petrochemicals - Shell Chemicals - Renewable energy - The Hague, Netherlands - London - United Kingdom

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shell's revenues of $268 billion (2004) made it the fourth largest corporation in the world in 2004 and its profits of $18.18 billion made it the world's second most profitable business in terms of gross profits (calculations based on those numbers demonstrate a gross profit margin of 6.8%). Shell has operations in 140 countries in the world, the biggest of which is in the United States where its operating company is Shell Oil Company, which has its head office in Houston, Texas.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Royal Dutch/Shell Group was created in 1907 when Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (legal name in Dutch, N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandsche Petroleum Maatschappij) and The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company plc merged their operations to compete against the then-giant American oil company, Standard Oil. Prior to unification, the group operated under a number of operating and shareholder agreements.

Related Topics:
1907 - Dutch - Standard Oil

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Royal Dutch Petroleum Company had been founded in 1890 by Jean Kessler, along with Henri Deterding and Hugo Loudon, when a Royal charter was granted by Queen Wilhelmina to a small oil exploration company known as "Royal Dutch."

Related Topics:
1890 - Jean Kessler - Henri Deterding - Hugo Loudon - Queen Wilhelmina

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company (the quotation marks are official) was a British company which dated back to 1897 and which had been founded by Marcus Samuel, and his brother, Samuel Samuel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1919, Shell took control of the Mexican Eagle Petroleum Company and in 1921 formed Shell-Mex Limited which marketed products under the ?Shell? and ?Eagle? brands in the United Kingdom. In 1931, partly in response to the difficult economic conditions of the times, Shell-Mex merged their marketing operations in the UK (only) with those of British Petroleum to create Shell-Mex and BP Ltd a company that continued to trade until the brands separated again in 1975.

Related Topics:
1919 - 1921 - United Kingdom - British Petroleum - Shell-Mex and BP Ltd

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In November 2004 it was announced that the Shell Group would move to a single capital structure, creating a new parent company to be named Royal Dutch Shell plc, incorporated in England and Wales, and with its principal listing on the London Stock Exchange but its headquarters in The Hague in the Netherlands. The unification was completed on 20 July 2005.

Related Topics:
Incorporated - London Stock Exchange - The Hague - 20 July - 2005

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Under the old capital structure, Shell's ADRs were traded on the New York Stock Exchange under RD (Royal Dutch) and SC (Shell).

Related Topics:
ADRs - New York Stock Exchange

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shell is the world's third largest publicly traded Oil company based on revenues (After BP and ExxonMobil) and the second most profitable (after ExxonMobil) - (Fortune Global 500 2004)

Related Topics:
BP - ExxonMobil - Fortune Global 500

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~