Hindustan Unilever Limited: History, Latest Updates, Milestones, Subsidiaries & Share Price
Introduction
Hindustan Unilever Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, is a British-owned Indian final goods company, operating as a subsidiary of the British firm Unilever. Established in 1931 as Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Co., it evolved through a merger in 1956, becoming Hindustan Lever Limited, and was later renamed Hindustan Unilever Limited in June 2007. With a 90-year legacy in India, boasts a substantial Rs. 58,154+ crore turnover in the financial year 2022-23. As a household name ingrained in the daily lives of nine out of ten Indian households, their vision extends beyond market leadership to pioneering sustainable business practices. With a diverse portfolio of 50+ renowned brands, including 19 with an annual turnover exceeding Rs.1,000 crores, they continue to set industry standards.
Their expansive reach spans across 9 million retail outlets, supported by a network of 3,500+ distributors nationwide. With a committed workforce of 21,000 employees, they proudly hold the position of the number one employer of choice across industries, maintaining a commendable 40% gender balance. Demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship, they collected and processed over 1,00,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2022, achieving a remarkable 97% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the 2008 baseline. Additionally, in the fiscal year 2021-2022, they created a cumulative water potential of 2.6 trillion litres, empowering 1.9 lakh rural women micro-entrepreneurs through their impactful project Shakti.
Hindustan Unilever Limited Moves in 2023
In December 2023, Tarun Bajaj is appointed as an Independent Director by the HUL Board. HUL establishes a partnership with Brookfield to pursue green energy initiatives in alignment with their net zero commitment.
In October 2023, the results for the quarter ending on 30th September 2023 are unveiled, revealing a 4% Underlying Sales Growth, 2% Underlying Volume Growth, and a 12% increase in Profit After Tax.
In August 2023, HUL and HSBC inaugurate a new Suvidha Centre in Dharavi.
In July 2023, HUL contributes Rs 1 crore to Himachal Pradesh disaster relief efforts. The results for the quarter concluding on 30th June 2023 are disclosed, indicating a 7% Underlying Sales Growth, 3% Underlying Volume Growth, and an 8% rise in Profit After Tax. Ms. Neelam Dhawan is appointed as an Independent Director, while Mr. Leo Puri is reappointed.
Evolution Of Hindustan Unilever Limited: From Past to Present
|
Year |
Evolution |
|
1895 |
Lever Brothers appoint agents in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Karachi. |
|
1925 |
Full control of North West Soap Company acquired by Lever Brothers. |
|
1926 |
Registration of Dalda Trademark by Hartogs. |
|
1930 |
Formation of Unilever on January 1 through the merger of Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie. |
|
1931 |
Registration of Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company on November 27; acquisition of Sewri factory site |
|
1932 |
Commencement of Vanaspati manufacturing at Sewri. |
|
1933 |
Application made for setting up a soap factory next to the Vanaspati factory at Sewri; Incorporation of Lever Brothers India Limited on October 17. |
|
1934 |
Initiation of soap manufacturing at Sewri factory in October; Rental and expansion of North West Soap Company's Garden Reach Factory, Kolkata to produce Lever brands. |
|
1935 |
Incorporation of United Traders on May 11 to market Personal Products. |
|
1939 |
Outright purchase of Garden Reach Factory; Focus on building up Dalda Vanaspati as a brand. |
|
1941 |
Takeover of agencies in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Karachi; Acquisition of own sales force. |
|
1942 |
Firm decision by Unilever to "train Indians to take over junior and senior management positions instead of Europeans." |
|
1944 |
Restructuring of the three companies with shared management but distinct marketing operations. |
|
1951 |
Acquisition of Shamnagar, Trichy, and Ghaziabad Vanaspati factories. |
|
1955 |
65% of managers are Indians. |
|
1956 |
Merger of three companies to form Hindustan Unilever Limited, with 10% Indian equity participation. |
|
1957 |
Approval by Unilever Special Committee for research activity by Hindustan Unilever |
|
1958 |
Commencement of functioning of the Research Unit at Mumbai Factory |
|
1962 |
Formation of the Formal Exports Department. |
|
1963 |
Opening of the Head Office building at Mumbai |
|
1964 |
Establishment of the Etah dairy; Setting up of an Animal feeds plant at Ghaziabad; |
|
1965 |
Increase in Indian shareholding to 14%. |
|
1966 |
Introduction of Lever's baby food and more new foods; Start of Nickel catalyst production; Increase in Indian shareholding to 15%; Imposition of statutory price control on Vanaspati; |
|
1967 |
Inauguration of Hindustan Unilever Research Centre in Mumbai. |
|
1968 |
Commissioning of the Fine Chemicals Unit at Andheri; Informal price control on soap begins. |
|
1969 |
Start of production by the Fine Chemicals Unit; |
|
1974 |
Commissioning of a Pilot plant for industrial chemicals at Taloja; Withdrawal of informal price control on soaps; |
|
1975 |
Announcement of a ten-year modernization plan for soaps and detergent plants; Commencement of work on the Jammu project; Withdrawal of statutory price control on Vanaspati and baby foods; |
|
1976 |
Commencement of construction work of Haldia chemicals complex; Initiation of functioning of Taloja chemicals unit. |
|
1977 |
Inauguration of the Jammu synthetic Detergents plant; Increase in Indian shareholding to 18.57%. |
|
1978 |
Increase in Indian shareholding to 34%; |
|
1979 |
Commissioning of the Sodium Tripolyphosphate plant at Haldia. |
|
1980 |
Reduction of Unilever shareholding in the company to 51%. |
|
1984 |
Transfer of Foods, Animal Feeds businesses to Lipton. |
|
1986 |
Commencement of the Agri-products unit at Hyderabad - first range of hybrid seeds introduced; Start of operations at Khamgaon Soaps unit and Yavatmal Personal Products unit; |
|
1992 |
Recognition by the Government of India of HUL as Star Trading House in Exports. |
|
1993 |
Acquisition of the Kissan brand from the United Breweries Group by the erstwhile Brooke Bond India, giving HUL entry into the foods business. |
|
1994 |
Merger of HUL with its largest competitor, Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO); Formation of Unilever Nepal Limited; Formation of a 50:50 joint venture - Kimberley-Clark Lever Ltd; Setup of a factory at Pune in 1995; Acquisition of Kwality and Milkfood 100% brand names and distribution assets; |
|
1995 |
Entry into the branded staples business with salt; Recognition of HUL as Super Star Trading House. |
|
1996 |
Formation of a 50:50 joint venture - Lakme Lever Ltd. |
|
1997 |
Establishment of the International Research Laboratory by Unilever in Bangalore; Introduction of new Regional Innovation Centres. |
|
1998 |
Merger & Acquisition of Pond's India Ltd. |
|
2000 |
Acquisition of a 74% stake in Modern Food Industries Ltd., the first public sector company to be disinvested by the Government of India. |
|
2002 |
Entry into the Ayurvedic health & beauty centre category with the Ayush range and Ayush Therapy Centres. |
|
2003 |
The Hindustan Lever Network was launched, and the Amalgam Group was acquired. |
|
2007 |
Formal change of the company name to Hindustan Unilever Limited after receiving shareholder approval during the 74th AGM on May 18, 2007; Crossing of the Rs 1,000 crore mark by sales of Brooke Bond and Surf Excel. |
|
2008 |
Completion of 75 years on October 17, 2008; |
|
2010 |
Establishment of Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) to support national priorities for socio-economic development. |
|
2015 |
Signing of an agreement with Mosons Group for the acquisition of its flagship brand ‘Indulekha’; Announcement of an agreement for the sale and transfer of the bread and bakery business under the brand “Modern” to Nimman Foods Private Limited. |
|
2017 |
Commissioning of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility |
|
2018 |
Signing of an agreement with VDFPL for acquisition of its flagship brand ‘Adityaa Milk’ |
|
2020 |
Announcement of the acquisition of VWash; Integration of GSK Consumer Healthcare with Hindustan Unilever Limited Inclusion of Horlicks and Boost – into the foods & refreshment portfolio of HUL, making it the largest F&R business in India. |
|
2022 |
Surpassing of the INR 50,000 Crore mark in HUL's turnover for FY 2021 - 2022. |
|
2023 |
Appointment of Rohit Jawa as the CEO and Managing Director of HUL, effective from June 27, 2023. |
|
Company Information |
|
|
Name |
Hindustan Unilever Limited |
|
Founded year |
1933 |
|
Parent Company |
Unilever (61.90%) |
|
Predecessor |
Indian Vanaspati Manufacturing Company (1931–1956) Lever Brothers India Limited (1933–1956) United Traders Limited (1935–1956) Hindustan Lever Limited (1956–2007) |
|
Headquarters |
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
|
Industry |
Consumer Goods |
|
CEO |
Mr. Rohit Jawa |
|
Major subsidiaries |
Nil |
|
Revenue |
Rs. 61,092 crore (US$7.7 billion) (2023) |
|
Geographical presence |
India |
|
NSE code |
NSE: HINDUNILVR NSE NIFTY 50 Constituent |
|
BSE code |
BSE: 500696 BSE SENSEX Constituent |
Timeline Of Hindustan Unilever Limited
|
Year |
Fact |
Description |
|
1895 |
Appoints agents in India |
Lever Brothers appoint agents in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Karachi. |
|
1930 |
Formation |
Formation of Unilever on January 1 through the merger of Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie. |
|
1931 |
Registration & Acquisition |
Registration of Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company on November 27; acquisition of Sewri factory site |
|
1933 |
Set UP & Incorporation |
Application made for setting up a soap factory next to the Vanaspati factory at Sewri; Incorporation of Lever Brothers India Limited on October 17. |
|
1941 |
Acquisition |
Acquisition of own sales force. |
|
1956 |
Merger |
Merger of three companies to form Hindustan Unilever Limited, with 10% Indian equity participation. |
|
1963 |
Opening |
Opening of the Head Office building at Mumbai |
|
1964 |
Establishment |
Establishment of the Etah dairy |
|
1967 |
Inauguration |
Inauguration of Hindustan Unilever Research Centre in Mumbai. |
|
1976 |
Initiation |
Initiation of functioning of Taloja chemicals unit. |
|
1977 |
Inauguration |
Inauguration of the Jammu synthetic Detergents plant; |
|
1979 |
Commissioning |
Commissioning of the Sodium Tripolyphosphate plant at Haldia. |
|
1980 |
Reduction in Shareholding |
Reduction of Unilever shareholding in the company to 51%. |
|
1986 |
Commencement & Start of Operations |
Commencement of the Agri-products unit at Hyderabad; Start of operations of soap unit |
|
1992 |
Recognition by GoI |
Recognition by the Government of India of HUL as Star Trading House in Exports. |
|
1993 |
Acquisition |
Acquisition of the Kissan brand |
|
1994 |
M & A & Joint Ventures |
Merger of HUL with its largest competitor, Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO); Formation of a 50:50 joint venture - Acquisition of Kwality and Milkfood |
|
1996 |
Joint Venture |
Formation of a 50:50 joint venture - Lakme Lever Ltd. |
|
1997 |
Establishment |
Establishment of the International Research Laboratory by Unilever |
|
1998 |
M& A |
Merger & Acquisition of Pond's India Ltd. |
|
2002 |
New Entrant |
Entry into the Ayurvedic health & beauty centre category with the Ayush range and Ayush Therapy Centres. |
|
2003 |
Launch & Acquisition |
Launch of Hindustan Lever Network; Acquisition of the Amalgam Group. |
|
2007 |
Change of Name |
Formal change of the company name to Hindustan Unilever Limited |
|
2010 |
Establishment |
Establishment of Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) |
|
2020 |
M & A |
M & A Announcement of the acquisition of VWash; Integration of GSK Consumer Healthcare with Hindustan Unilever Limited |
Hindustan Unilever Limited
Corporate Actions/ Main News
HUL's restructuring, effective April 1,2024 aligns its beauty and personal care division with Unilever's model. The division, contributing 37% of FY23 revenue (Rs21,831 crore), includes brands like Lifebuoy, Lux, and Dove. HUL's management committee changes include the appointment of Arun Neelakantan as chief digital officer from January 1,2024 emphasizing digital initiatives.
Hindustan Unilever Limited Subsidiaries NSE/BSE: Current Share Prices
|
COMPANY NAME |
SECTOR |
SHARE PRICE LINK |
|
Hindustan Unilever Limited |
FMCG |
Achievements & Milestone
|
Companies with Purpose |
Achievements (FY 2022 – 2023) |
|
ESG Practices |
- Best Company award in ESG practices at KPMG India ESG Excellence Awards 2023 -Top FMCG performer in Dun & Bradstreet's India’s Top 500 Companies 2022. |
|
Supply Chain Excellence |
- Overall winner in Asia for ‘Best Supply Chain Solution’ at Adam Smith Treasury Award. - Supply Chain Company of the Year by Institute of Supply Chain and Management. |
|
Employer of Choice |
- No. 1 Employer across sectors based on brand perception study by Inside IIM 2022. |
|
Energy Efficiency |
- Doom Dooma and Sonepat factories won at CII - National Energy Efficiency Circle Awards - Doom Dooma manufacturing won at Annual Greentech CSR Award 2022. |
|
Corporate Governance |
- Certificate of Recognition at 22nd ICSI National Awards. |
|
Client Insight |
- Best Client Insight Team by Market Research Society of India, winning six awards. |
|
Year |
Milestones |
|
1888 |
Introduction of Sunlight soap in India. |
|
1895 |
Launch of Lifebuoy soap |
|
1902 |
Introduction of Pears soap in India. |
|
1903 |
Launch of Brooke Bond Red Label tea. |
|
1905 |
Introduction of Lux flakes. |
|
1913 |
Introduction of Vim scouring powder |
|
1914 |
Launch of Vinolia soap in India. |
|
1918 |
Introduction of Vanaspati by Dutch margarine manufacturer |
|
1922 |
Introduction of Rinso soap powder |
|
1924 |
Launch of Gibbs dental preparations |
|
1943 |
Commencement of Personal Products manufacturing |
|
1947 |
Launch of Pond's Cold Cream |
|
1959 |
Introduction of Surf |
|
1964 |
launch of Anik ghee; Introduction of Sunsilk shampoo. |
|
1965 |
Launch of Signal toothpaste |
|
1966 |
Launch of Taj Mahal tea. |
|
1969 |
Launch of Rin bar; Introduction of Bru coffee. |
|
1971 |
Introduction of Clinic shampoo |
|
1974 |
Introduction of Liril. |
|
1975 |
Launch of Close-up toothpaste. |
|
1978 |
Increase in Indian shareholding to 34%; Launch of Fair & Lovely skin cream |
|
1986 |
Launch of Lipton Taaza tea. |
|
1991 |
Launch of Surf Ultra detergent. |
|
1994 |
Introduction of Wall's. |
|
2008 |
Launch of Pureit across India. |
|
2010 |
International launch of Pureit; Introduction of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan in India; |
|
2013 |
Launch of ‘Prabhat’ (Dawn) - a Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) linked program to engage with and contribute to the development of local communities around manufacturing sites. |
|
2014 |
National launch of the ‘Winning in Many Indias’ operating framework after its pilot in 2013; |
|
2016 |
Crossing of the rupee 2000 crore mark by sales of six HUL brands - Surf Excel, Brooke Bond, Wheel, Lifebuoy, Rin, and Fair & Lovely; Crossing of the 3000-crore mark by Surf Excel. |
Conclusion
Despite facing controversies and criticism, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) stands resilient as a leading force in the consumer goods industry. With a robust commitment to sustainable practices, exemplary corporate governance, and a portfolio of purpose-driven brands, HUL has consistently outperformed, earning accolades for its achievements in ESG practices, supply chain excellence, and being a top employer. The company's ability to navigate challenges while maintaining a focus on innovation and social responsibility underscores its enduring success and positive impact on both business and society
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are some popular brands owned by HUL?
HUL owns a diverse portfolio, including well-known brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf excel, Rin, Dove, and many more.
How can I invest in HUL shares?
You can invest in HUL shares through Enrich Money by opening a trading account
Is HUL an Indian company?
While based in India, HUL is a subsidiary of the British company Unilever.
How has HUL evolved over the years?
HUL has evolved from its initial focus on vanaspati to become a leading player in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, diversifying its product portfolio and embracing sustainability.
How can I track HUL's share price?
HUL's share price can be tracked on Enrich Money’s stock analysis platform.
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