Apple Inc. (AAPL) And Rolex Top Superbrand Indexes This Year

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has taken the crown for top Business Superbrand this year, while Rolex continues to hold the top Consumer Superbrand spot. Superbrands is an independent research firm which focuses on brands in the U.K. The firm publishes its lists of the top British brands every year in the two categories. The lists are based on a poll of 3,000 residents of the U.K.

Not to be outdone in the consumer category, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also took the second spot on that list after Rolex. The tech giant has been addressing the consumer sector for many years with its iPhones and iPads, and it’s expected to move even further into the consumer market this year with the introduction of an iTV. In fact, the company rose 16 places to land in second place on that consumer list.

Rolls-Royce Holding PLC (PINK:RYCEY) (LON:RR) held the top spot in the business category last year but fell 16 places on this year’s list. This is the second year in a row that Rolex has topped the consumer list.

One important sector to note in the Superbrand survey this year was the recovery of several of Britain’s largest banks, including HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HBC) (LON:HSBA), Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) (LON:LLOY), Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) (LON:BARC) and Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS) (LON:RBS).

All of the U.K.’s major banks have been struggling amidst the Libor rigging scandal, which has embroiled countless banks across Europe. Numerous fines have been handed out to the nation’s banks, like the $615 million fine handed to Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS) (LON:RBS) earlier this month.

Most notably, Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) (LON:LLOY) jumped 287^th places to land in the 96^th spot. Also, Royal Bank of Scotland rose into the top 500 for the first time in several years. The recovery in the U.K.’s banking brands shows that the financial institutions are starting to put some of the pieces back together after the damage that was done by the Libor rigging scandal.

Other honorable mentions on the Superbrands list include Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), which was placed third on the consumer list and eighth on the business list, and British Airways, which placed second on the business list and fourth on the consumer list.