Hindustan Unilever
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is a British-owned Indian final good company headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the British company Unilever. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, water purifiers and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs).
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
Traded as |
|
| ISIN | INE030A01027 |
| Industry | Consumer goods |
| Predecessor | Indian Vanaspati Manufacturing Company (1931–1956) Lever Brothers India Limited (1933–1956) United Traders Limited (1935–1956) Hindustan Lever Limited (1956–2007) |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra , India |
Key people | Rohit Jawa (CEO) |
| Products |
|
| Revenue | ₹61,092 crore (US$7.7 billion) (2023) |
| ₹13,409 crore (US$1.7 billion) (2023) | |
Net income | ₹10,143 crore (US$1.3 billion) (2023) |
| Total assets | ₹73,087 crore (US$9.2 billion) (2023) |
| Total equity | ₹50,522 crore (US$6.3 billion) (2023) |
Number of employees | 21,000 (2020) |
| Parent | Unilever plc (61.90%) |
| Website | www |
HUL was established in 1931 as Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Co. Following a merger of constituent groups in 1956, it was renamed Hindustan Lever Limited. The company was renamed again in June 2007 as Hindustan Unilever Limited.
Hindustan Unilever has been at the helm of a lot of controversies, such as dumping highly toxic mercury-contaminated waste in regular dumps, contaminating the land and water of Kodaikanal. (See: Kodaikanal mercury poisoning). The British company also faced major flak for an advertising campaign attacking the Hindu pilgrimage site at Kumbh Mela, calling it a "place where old people get abandoned," a move that was termed racist and insensitive.
As of 2019, Hindustan Unilever's portfolio had more than 50 product brands in 14 categories. The company has 21,000 employees and recorded sales of ₹34,619 crores in FY2017–18.
In December 2018, HUL announced its acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline India's consumer business for US$3.8 billion in an all equity merger deal with a 1:4.39 ratio. However the integration of GSK's 3,800 employees remained uncertain as HUL stated there was no clause for retention of employees in the deal. In April 2020, HUL completed its merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH India) after completing all legal procedures. In December 2022, HUL's market cap was Rs. 638548.42 crore.