Founded in 1929 by the merger of MargarineUnie and LeverBrothers, Unilever is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and London, and is mainly engaged in the detergent and food business, with more than 400 brands worldwide
As early as the thirties of the twentieth century, Unilever's predecessor, Lihua Brothers, invested and established in Shanghai, China Soap Co., Ltd., produced "Lux" soap, "Umbrella" brand soap and other products because of their excellent quality, and became the best-selling products in the Chinese market. In 1986, Unilever returned to Shanghai, and the first joint venture, Shanghai Lihua Co., Ltd., continued to produce Lux soap. Due to the standard of living at the time, the use of "Lux" soap was regarded by young people as a symbol of "openness" and "fashion". So far, "Lux" is the No. 1 selling soap in China.
From 1986 to 1999, Unilever invested US$800 million in China, established 14 joint ventures and introduced more than 100 advanced patented technologies. Thirteen brands, including Pond's, Lux, Charsley, Aomiao, Zhonghua, Lipton Yellow Brand, and Luxue, are divided into three series of products, including home and personal care products, ice cream, and food, so that the Unilever-labeled product range in China can now be used to open a decent store and connect with all aspects of people's daily lives.
Unilever has more than 400 brands around the world, most of which are acquired and promoted around the world, for example, Ponzi was originally an American brand, Unilever bought it and developed it into a famous brand of skin care products, and promoted it to China; "Xia Shilian" was originally a British brand promoted in Southeast Asia, and Unilever also introduced it to China. "Becoming a local multinational" is Unilever's global business purpose and long-standing tradition. Over the years, Unilever has not only brought many international brands into the Chinese market; At the same time, we will vigorously cultivate local brands in China. In 1999, after the acquisition of a famous food brand "Lao Cai Soy Sauce" in Shanghai, there were two more high-profile acquisitions: one was the acquisition of the famous Beijing food brand "Jinghua Tea", and the other was the acquisition of another famous Shanghai ice cream brand "Mandenlin" with its ice cream brand "Heluxue", which had a market share of 15% of the world.
Recognising that "localization" is the only way to survive by combining international science and technology with business experience, Unilever invested RMB 166 million to establish its sixth research and development centre in Shanghai, Unilever China Research and Development Centre. The center has 150 Chinese scientific and technological personnel; Emphasis is placed on product formulation research, with a particular focus on introducing natural ingredients from traditional Chinese science into Unilever's products.
Unilever's history spans three centuries, and its success has gone through many major historical periods: booms, busts, world wars, changes in human lifestyles and technological advances. Unilever is constantly developing new products to improve people's lives, such as helping people spend less time on housework; increase the nutrition of food; Make tasting food a pleasure; Let people start to pay more attention to themselves, their families, their clothes, etc.
At the end of the 19th century, Unilever's predecessor company offered vocational training for workers; The new products developed for consumers have been widely praised by the society; universal hygiene and personal care; Vitamins are added to foods to improve the nutrition of food... All of this is no longer new today, but it was a step ahead at the time.
Today, Unilever continues to believe that success means a high standard of corporate behaviour that 'treats our employees, consumers, society and the world in which we operate'. Over the years, we have initiated or participated in more and more projects to seek sustainable product raw materials; protection of the environment; Supporting local communities and more.
