Hindustan Unilever
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| |
| ISIN | INE030A01027 |
| Industry | Fast-moving 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 | ₹627 billion (US$7.4 billion) (2024) |
| ₹139 billion (US$1.6 billion) (2024) | |
| ₹103 billion (US$1.2 billion) (2024) | |
| Total assets | ₹785 billion (US$9.3 billion) (2024) |
| Total equity | ₹514 billion (US$6.1 billion) (2024) |
Number of employees | 27,764 (2024)(including 19,109 workers) |
| Parent | Unilever (61.90%) |
| Website | www |
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is an Indian fast-moving consumer goods company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products and other consumer staples.
The company was established in India 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-Dutch company also faced major flak for an advertising campaign covering the Hindu pilgrimage site at Kumbh Mela in a negative light, calling it a "place where old people get abandoned," a move that was termed racist and insensitive.
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.