10.28.10
3. Unilever
United Kingdom
www.unilever.com
Beauty Sales:$17 billion (Personal Care)
Corporate Sales: $57 billion
Key Personnel: Paul Polman, chief executive officer; Michael Treschow, chairman; Douglas Anderson Baillie, president, Western Europe; Professor Geneviéve Berger, chief R&D officer; Harish Manwani, president, Asia Africa; Michael B. Polk, president, global foods, home and personal care.
Major Products: Personal care—Skin care and hair care products, deodorants and antiperspirants, and oral care products, including Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, TIGI.
New Products: Dove Minimizing Deodorant, Clear shampoo, Dove for Men, Axe Dark Temptation.
Comments: When speaking of Unilever’s success in 2009 despite trying times, chief executive officer Paul Polman remarked, “With confidence in our ability to grow, we launched a renewed, bold vision for the company—to double our size while improving our environmental footprint.”
The vision, which he admitted fell short in some areas, was on target in others. All regions delivered an improving trend in volumes and market share, driven by innovation and advertising and promotional support. Steps were taken to ensure that pricing remained competitive and, in some cases, prices were lowered to reflect reduced commodity costs. Corporate cost cutting programs also boosted the bottom line. By year’s end, Unilever was generating more than half of its turnover in developing and emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Personal care sales were a highlight, rising 4% to $17 billion. In personal care, six global brands comprise the core of Unilever’s business in the mass skin care, daily hair care and deodorants product areas: Dove, Lux, Rexona (including Sure and Degree), Sunsilk (including Seda/Sedal), Axe/Lynx and Pond’s. Other important brands include Suave, Clear, Lifebuoy and Vaseline.
Unilever joined other beauty companies in taking advantage of a still sluggish year to plan for the future, boosting market share potential by adding brands with global potential. The purchase of professional hair products business TIGI marked a return to strategic acquisitions, further strengthening Unilever’s brand portfolio. In September 2009, Unilever announced the acquisition of Sara Lee’s personal care brands, which it is counting on to strengthen its European business in a big way.
Personal care emphasis in developing regions focuses on basic sanitary routines, including hand washing and tooth brushing, with Lifebuoy one of Unilever’s fastest growing brands in this category.
In 2009, Unilever also launched a new Dove Body Wash with proprietary NutriumMoisture technology. The product’s streamlined teardrop packaging makes it eco-friendly, too. Launched in the competitive U.S. market, Dove Body Wash will be rolled out elsewhere in 2010.
Like its global competitors, Unilever regards R&D as key to future success. The company continued to invest heavily in R&D, despite the economic environment. In 2009, it opened a new R&D center in Shanghai.
At its UK plant in Leeds, new technology was developed that allows for a wider range of fragrances in deodorants—at no additional cost. This advance allows for the production of a common, un-perfumed base for aerosols, adding the fragrance only at the very last stage.
For the first quarter of 2010, corporate sales rose 6.7% to $14 billion. Sales of personal care products jumped 7.9% to $4.3 billion. Unilever credited the gain to the introduction of Dove Men+Care body wash that was launched in Europe using patented NutriumMoisture technology and Dove Hair Damage Repair.
In the second quarter, personal care became Unilever’s largest category, reporting sales of about $4.55 billion.
Just announced: Unilever is set to acquire U.S.-based Alberto Culver for $3.7 billion in cash. Alberto Culver, manufacturer of top-selling brands including TRESemmé, VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives, Simple and Noxzema, generated sales of nearly $1.6 billion last year. According to the now-even-more-giant Anglo-Dutch manufacturer, the acquisition makes Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo and the third largest in styling, and significantly enhances its hair care presence in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Mexico and Australasia, all of which will be significant hair care markets for years to come.
United Kingdom
www.unilever.com
Beauty Sales:$17 billion (Personal Care)
Corporate Sales: $57 billion
Key Personnel: Paul Polman, chief executive officer; Michael Treschow, chairman; Douglas Anderson Baillie, president, Western Europe; Professor Geneviéve Berger, chief R&D officer; Harish Manwani, president, Asia Africa; Michael B. Polk, president, global foods, home and personal care.
Dove Body Wash with proprietary NutriumMoisture technology promises to maintain the skin’s natural moisture barrier. |
New Products: Dove Minimizing Deodorant, Clear shampoo, Dove for Men, Axe Dark Temptation.
Comments: When speaking of Unilever’s success in 2009 despite trying times, chief executive officer Paul Polman remarked, “With confidence in our ability to grow, we launched a renewed, bold vision for the company—to double our size while improving our environmental footprint.”
The vision, which he admitted fell short in some areas, was on target in others. All regions delivered an improving trend in volumes and market share, driven by innovation and advertising and promotional support. Steps were taken to ensure that pricing remained competitive and, in some cases, prices were lowered to reflect reduced commodity costs. Corporate cost cutting programs also boosted the bottom line. By year’s end, Unilever was generating more than half of its turnover in developing and emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Personal care sales were a highlight, rising 4% to $17 billion. In personal care, six global brands comprise the core of Unilever’s business in the mass skin care, daily hair care and deodorants product areas: Dove, Lux, Rexona (including Sure and Degree), Sunsilk (including Seda/Sedal), Axe/Lynx and Pond’s. Other important brands include Suave, Clear, Lifebuoy and Vaseline.
Unilever joined other beauty companies in taking advantage of a still sluggish year to plan for the future, boosting market share potential by adding brands with global potential. The purchase of professional hair products business TIGI marked a return to strategic acquisitions, further strengthening Unilever’s brand portfolio. In September 2009, Unilever announced the acquisition of Sara Lee’s personal care brands, which it is counting on to strengthen its European business in a big way.
Personal care emphasis in developing regions focuses on basic sanitary routines, including hand washing and tooth brushing, with Lifebuoy one of Unilever’s fastest growing brands in this category.
In 2009, Unilever also launched a new Dove Body Wash with proprietary NutriumMoisture technology. The product’s streamlined teardrop packaging makes it eco-friendly, too. Launched in the competitive U.S. market, Dove Body Wash will be rolled out elsewhere in 2010.
Like its global competitors, Unilever regards R&D as key to future success. The company continued to invest heavily in R&D, despite the economic environment. In 2009, it opened a new R&D center in Shanghai.
At its UK plant in Leeds, new technology was developed that allows for a wider range of fragrances in deodorants—at no additional cost. This advance allows for the production of a common, un-perfumed base for aerosols, adding the fragrance only at the very last stage.
For the first quarter of 2010, corporate sales rose 6.7% to $14 billion. Sales of personal care products jumped 7.9% to $4.3 billion. Unilever credited the gain to the introduction of Dove Men+Care body wash that was launched in Europe using patented NutriumMoisture technology and Dove Hair Damage Repair.
In the second quarter, personal care became Unilever’s largest category, reporting sales of about $4.55 billion.
Just announced: Unilever is set to acquire U.S.-based Alberto Culver for $3.7 billion in cash. Alberto Culver, manufacturer of top-selling brands including TRESemmé, VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives, Simple and Noxzema, generated sales of nearly $1.6 billion last year. According to the now-even-more-giant Anglo-Dutch manufacturer, the acquisition makes Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo and the third largest in styling, and significantly enhances its hair care presence in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Mexico and Australasia, all of which will be significant hair care markets for years to come.