HUL completes acquisition of hygiene brand VWash from Glenmark Pharma

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on Friday announced that it has completed the acquisition of intimate hygiene brand VWash from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

In a regulatory filing, HUL said that it has acquired the intellectual property rights including trademarks, design, and knowhow related to the VWash brand worldwide.

The acquisition was announced on March 23, 2020, and was subject to certain closing conditions, which have now been fulfilled, it said.

With this acquisition, HUL can unlock significant synergies and scale up the brand by building awareness, driving penetration, leveraging distribution and enhance the offering for the chemist channel, it said.

Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director of HUL, said: "VWash acquisition is strategic and gives us an entry into rapidly growing female intimate hygiene segment. It enables us to serve consumer needs through scientific solutions. This acquisition is also timely given heightened focus on health and hygiene."

"We believe that HUL is well-positioned to further scale up this brand given the strength of our market development and distribution capabilities," it said. The company, however, did not disclose the transaction value involved.

VWash was launched by Glenmark in 2013 and the brand has established itself as the market leader in the female intimate hygiene category backed by strong product proposition, consumer endorsements, and brand building investments.

HUL has acquired intellectual property rights including trademarks, design, and know-how related to the VWash brand worldwide, the company said.

"VWash acquisition is strategic and gives us an entry into a rapidly growing female intimate hygiene segment. It enables us to serve consumer needs through scientific solutions. This acquisition is also timely given heightened focus on health and hygiene," HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta said.

With this acquisition, HUL is looking to scale up the brand by building awareness, driving penetration, leveraging distribution and enhance the offering for chemist channel.

The shares of HUL were trading at Rs 2,149 apiece on BSE, down 1.15 per cent from their previous close.