Meet MARKETING EDGE 2023 Summit and Awards’ sponsor – Unilever Nigeria
Unilever Nigeria Plc is sponsoring MARKETING EDGE on its 2023 NATIONAL MARKETING SUMMIT and MARKETING EDGE BRANDS & ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE AWARDS, scheduled to take place on the 15th and 16th of September, 2023.
Unilever Nigeria is a Nigeria-based company, which is principally involved in the manufacturing and marketing of foods and refreshments, home care, beauty & personal care products.
The company’s segments include Food Products (FP) and Home and personal Care Products (HPC). The FP segment includes sales of savory. The HPC segment includes the sale of skincare and oral care products, fabric care, and household cleaning.
The company’s international brands in Nigeria include Omo, Sunlight, Close-Up, Pepsodent, Vaseline, Lux, Knorr, Royco, Lipton, Rexona, Knorr, Pears, and Lifebuoy, among others. It is a supplier of food, home, beauty, well-being, and personal care products across East Africa.
Unilever has a presence in five East African countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. The company has manufacturing sites in Oregun, Lagos State, and Agbara, Ogun State. The company has approximately 400 brand names in 190 countries.
In 2014, it was listed among the top 20 most valuable companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Unilever Nigeria PLC is a subsidiary of Unilever Overseas Holding B.V.
Unilever’s history in Nigeria dates back to 1923 when Robert Hesketh Leverhulme opened a trading post in Nigeria under the business name, Lever Brothers (West Africa) Ltd. The firm was primarily engaged in trading soap and in 1924, the name was changed to West African Soap Company. Sensing opportunity in the country, the firm opened a soap factory in Apapa in 1925.
The company later expanded into the production of food products, opened a new soap factory in Aba in 1958 and changed its name to Lever Brothers Nigeria Limited in 1955. In 1960, Lever Brothers introduced Omo detergent into the market, and the new product gained traction among buyers, prompting the firm to commission a factory to manufacture Omo detergents in 1964.
In compliance with the indigenisation decree of 1972, Unilever became a publicly listed company in 1973, selling 60% of its shares to the Nigerian public. The company became a Nigerian-owned firm. The change in equity ownership did not affect the firm’s growth. In 1982, the firm began producing edible products such as Royco, Blue Band, and Tree Top in Agbara, Ogun State.
In addition, the company went through a period of mergers and acquisitions; acquiring Lipton Nigeria in 1985 and later merging with Vaseline manufacturer, Chesebrough Products Industries in 1988. During this period, the company embarked on a backward integration scheme in order to source its raw materials locally. This business decision led the company to invest in crop production and oil palm milling. The company also invested in a tea plantation in Mambilla to provide raw materials for Lipton.
On 17th March 2023, Unilever Nigeria Plc announced changes in its business model to exit the Homecare and Skin Cleansing categories. The brands are Omo, Sunlight, and Lux, three household iconic brands which, at different points in history, have gained iconic status among Nigerian consumers.
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