Boasting annual sales of nearly ?2.4 billion, after the US, the UK is the second largest Unilever country. Around the UK, it has annual sales of almost £900 million, employing 2,000 people at 11 locations. While there are 400 brands globally, UK has over 35 brands covering food, home and personal care. For example, 77% of all English mustard bought in the UK is Colman's. The UK arm started in 1885 when William and James Lever launched Sunlight, the world's first branded and packaged laundry soap. Of the two global headquarters, London is one, the other being in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. There are also two global research facilities at Port Sunlight and Colworth, with manufacturing sites and distribution depots scattered around the UK.
Unilever takes great care to ensure that the group builds on and maintains consumer trust. Trust is earned not only through benefits of products. Around £8 million is contributed to projects in the UK through pioneering initiatives in sustainable development, education, the arts, and nutrition and health. This is done with the help of employee volunteering, community work and charitable donations. In May 2011, Unilever acquired the Alberto Culver Company, handing over $3.7 billion in cash. With the acquisition of this company which had annual sales over 1.2 billion (US$1.6 billion) in fiscal year 2010, Unilever ranked as the world's leading company in hair conditioning, the ranking second largest in shampoo and the third largest in styling. Consumerism is promoted with large inputs of energy and money in marketing and commercialization of consumer products globally.
Much money and energy is spent by Unilever on marketing and commercialization of consumer products all over the world. Recently, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) charged Unilever with false advertising in misleading consumers about the health benefits of its cholesterol-lowering margarine, Flora pro-active. After the ASA ruling, the company agreed to change the advertisement that the margarine could lower LDL cholesterol by 10 to 15 per cent, suitably. In this way Unilever, like other multinationals, manufactures demand for products regardless of whether there is a real demand for them.
It is more important that it remains competitive in the areas of personal and corporate taxation, and the entire spectrum of the business environment. Otherwise, with the sluggish economic climate leading to lower sales as its own figures show, and with the UK and Western Europe lagging behind emerging markets, how will it retain and attract businesses that are the topmost and create wealth?
[...] This amalgamation of the undertakings of the soap maker from Britain, the Lever Brothers as well as the margarine producer from Netherlands, Margarine Unie proved to be a good one from the commercial point of view. Since both the companies used palm oil as their raw material for manufacturing margarines as well as soaps, their collaboration assisted them in importing more competently in bigger quantities. The historic as well as the strategic developments of the company have been listed below: • 1890: William Hesketh Lever, penned down his plans for Sunlight Soap • 1872: Jurgens and Van Den Bergh established factories to manufacture margarine in Netherlands. • 1884: Lever & Co. [...]
[...] The recent non-executive Chairman of Unilever N.V. as well as PLC is Michael Treschow with Paul Polman as the Group Chief Executive. The company today has 400 brands, of which the highest selling brands are Aviance, Axe/Lynx, Ben & Jerry's, Dove, Flora/Becel, Heartbrand, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton, Lux/Radox, Omo/Surf, Rexona/Sure, Sunsilk, Toni & Guy, TRESemmé, VO5 and Wish-Bone. In the year 2011, the total revenue collect by the company was € 46.467 billion, with an operating income of € 6.901 billion and net income counting to € 4.623 billion. [...]
[...] For instance of the English mustard purchased in the United Kingdom comes from Colman's. The Unilever UK was founded in the year 1885 with William and James Lever launching Sunlight. This was the first ever branded as well as packaged laundry soap used by the world. The company has two global headquarters, London as well as Rotterdam in the Netherlands. UK also has two research facilities at Port Sunlight as well as Colworth, and the manufacturing plants are spread in different regions of the UK. [...]
[...] Unilever takes over Brooke Bond. • 1996: Union of Hindustan Lever and Brooke Bond Lipton creates India leading private sector organization. • 1998: Unilever founded the sustainable agricultural plan • 2000: Unilever acquires Bestfoods. • 2001: Unilever reduces the brands from 1600 to 900. • 2004: With the beginning of the vitality mission Unilever put for ward its brands along with its logo which represented the diversity of Unilever. • 2008: The company was named the "Digital Marketer of the Year" • 2010: Unilever acquired Alberto-Culver, a producer of personal care as well as household goods • 2011: In October Unilever consented on acquiring 82% of the Russia Company Kalina. [...]
[...] These can be used by the companies in innovating new products. ➢ Ever increasing newer markets ➢ Increasing the function in the undeveloped countries Threat: ➢ Recession which can bring about an economic turndown ➢ Increasing environmental consciousness among the people ➢ Increased competition in the international market ➢ Introduction of frequent and new local products ➢ Legal issues effecting the production or the sale of a particular product, generally because of its adverse effects on health or environment. Ø Peer Benchmarking & Future Outlook: Source: Unilever infinancialanalytics.com As has been put forward in the financial reports the Unilever Company has expressed that the year 2012 tends to be a difficult one as regards its growth which shall be slow with less demands in the growing markets of Europe as well as North America. [...]
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