Unilever - statistics & facts
A merger between a margarine producer and a soap maker led to an unforeseeable success, that of Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company that produces food, beverages, cleaning agents, and personal care products. Since its beginnings in 1929, the company has expanded to become a leader in the FMCG consumer goods industry, boasting around 400 brands. Some of its most prominent brands are Lifebuoy, Dove, Axe, and Sunsilk.
Until recently, the company’s headquarters were divided between Rotterdam and London but, in 2020, Unilever became a fully British company. Three years later, the Unilever Group was listed as the sixth largest FMCG company worldwide in terms of sales.
However, in 2023, the company announced its plan to exit the ice cream business. While its personal care and beauty segments keep on growing and recording impressive figures, it is likely that the multinational will start focusing even more on these sectors.
Unilever’s personal care segment
The largest product segment of the Unilever Group is personal care, followed by nutrition, and beauty & wellbeing. In 2023, personal care generated approximately 13.8 billion euros in revenues. That year, the group as a whole reported a revenue of about 60 billion euros. Although Unilever is based in the United Kingdom, the vast majority of its revenue is generated from the rest of the world, especially the United States. Being a major player in numerous FMCG markets worldwide, some of Unilever’s personal care brands, such as Dove, are among the most valuable worldwide. Dove was also the leading deodorant brand in the United States as of 2022.America's favorite ice cream brand
The Unilever Group was also featured in a ranking of the leading beverages company worldwide in 2022, with sales amounting to approximately 2.3 billion U.S. dollars. Knorr and Lipton are among its most renowned food and beverage brands, with the former being among the most purchased in European households. The company is also a leader in the frozen dessert industry, with its ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry’s, recently generating unit sales of around 176 million in the United States alone, thus becoming the top-ranked ice cream brand among U.S. consumers.However, in 2023, the company announced its plan to exit the ice cream business. While its personal care and beauty segments keep on growing and recording impressive figures, it is likely that the multinational will start focusing even more on these sectors.
