Employer insights

Unilever

The overview

Unilever is a multi-national company that develops and supplies a whole selection of household products – from foodstuffs to beauty products to detergents. In the industry these are known as ‘fast moving consumer goods’ (or FMCG). The company has been operating for more than 100 years in the UK (William Hesketh Lever created ‘Sunlight Soap’ in the 1890s) and is now a global giant.

Unilever employs people across a range of different business areas, including:

  • research and development
  • supply chain
  • business and technology management
  • human resources
  • financial management
  • marketing
  • customer development

International expansion

In recent times, much like its competitors in the retail sector, Unilever has branched out more into its international market, with particularly strong areas of business being India and certain parts of eastern and western Africa. This impact to emerging markets is something that strikes a chord with investors, and a concentration on this may mean that some food products are dispensed with in the future.

Brands

Unilever has more than 400 global brands. Here is a selection of some of its most recognised names:

Food and drink

  • Ben and Jerry’s
  • Hellman’s
  • PG Tips
  • Pot Noodle

Home care

  • Comfort
  • Cif
  • Domestos
  • Persil

Personal care

  • Dove
  • Lynx
  • Radox
  • TRESemmé

Many of Unilever's products have become ubiquitous; around 35 million cups of PG tips are drunk every day and four pot noodles are sold every second. The company's sponsorship of major sporting events and teams have helped to build the profile of its brands - for example, its male grooming brand Dove Men+Care has sponsored several Welsh Rugby Union matches, and its Rexona and Clear personal care brands sponsor the Lotus Formula 1 team.

Corporate social responsibility

As well as branching out geographically, Unilever has also increased its efforts to be more environmentally-friendly and socially conscious in recent years. In January 2012, the company joined forces with the World Food Programme (WFP), Oxfam, Unicef, PSI and Save the Children to launch a new charitable foundation, which aims to support sustainability and improve the quality of life of people in developing countries.

It also has an ongoing sustainability programme called its Sustainable Living Plan, which includes 3 targets to be met by 2020: to halve the carbon footprint of its products, to obtain all agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources, and to help improve the health and wellbeing of over 1 billion people worldwide.

Business surveys and rankings

  • 3rd in Top 100 Advertisers 2011 (Nielsen Media Research). Unilever spends around £6 billion each year on advertising.
  • 2nd in Responsible Supply Chain Management Benchmark 2010 (VBDO).
  • 2nd in the Dutch Top 100 Corporate Brands 2010 (Brand Competence).
  • Unilever is currently one of the largest FTSE 100 companies and has continued to grow during the economic slump. Sales were up 3.5% in 2009, and 4.1% in 2010.

Why work here?

  • Unilever invests £1 billion each year on research and development – giving employees the chance to work on a range of new products and services.
  • At the Leatherhead on-site Scoop Shop there is free Ben & Jerry’s for all employees
  • Diversity - there are 22 different nationalities among Unilever’s top-tier managers
  • Annual UK sales of nearly €2.5 billion

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