Hind Lever mulls launch of new Unilever brands

Hindustan Unilever, the largest fast moving consumer goods company (FMCG) in India, is contemplating launching new products from parent Unilever’s stable. On its radar are Alberto-Culver and the personal care and laundry portfolios of Sara Lee, both recent acquisitions of Unilever.

HUL managing director Nitin Paranjpe said, “We are exploring if there is anything that can be relevant to us from Alberto-Culver and Sara Lee. We are looking at what we can introduce from the two.”

Alberto-Culver is an American skin and hair products maker. In September, Unilever announced it was buying the company for $3.7 billion — its second-largest acquisition after Best Foods in 2000. The latter, a US-based foods major, was acquired by Unilever for a whopping $24.3 billion.

Incidentally, the Alberto deal added brands like V05, Andrew Collinge, TRESemme and Nexxus in hair care, and St Ives in skin care to Unilever’s portfolio.

However, the London and Rotterdam-based major is still awaiting regulatory approval for the Alberto-Culver acquisition, likely in the near-term. Shareholder approval for the deal has already been received.

Meanwhile, the American consumer goods maker Sara Lee divested stake in its personal care and European laundry business in September 2009, as part of its strategy to move out of non-core areas. Unilever had then announced it would acquire the business for about $1.9 billion, revising the deal to about $1.6 billion last year, following concerns of monopoly expressed by the European Commission. The revision came in the wake of Unilever agreeing to sell Sara Lee’s Sanex deodarant post acquisition. The transaction was completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.

For the Indian subsidiary, the introduction of new brands from the parent’s stable follows a series of such moves in the past.

For instance, in May-June 2010, the company brought Unilever’s popular anti-perspirant brand Sure into the country. In September 2009, Unilever’s Cif, a surface cleaner, was introduced. In 2008, fabric conditioner Comfort, also from the international portfolio, was launched in India.

Other Unilever brands in the HUL portfolio include Surf, Ponds, Dove, Axe, Lux, Lifebuoy, Sunsilk, Vaseline, Close Up and Knorr.

Paranjpe says the overall idea is to build a “portfolio of capabilities relevant to the consumers”. “Our goal has always been to find a model which delivers growth that is competitive, profitable and sustainable.

HUL’s local brands include Hamam, Breeze, Annapurna, Ayush, Fair & Lovely, Kissan, Modern Bread and Pureit among others.