Unilever today announced that it has signed an agreement for the sale of
its Soft & Beautiful, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru brands to Strength of
Nature for an undisclosed amount. The sale excludes TCB’s business in
Africa.
Kees Kruythoff, president of Unilever North America, said: “Soft &
Beautiful, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru are each terrific brands with a
long legacy in the ethnic hair care category. These brands are part of
one of the fastest growing categories in the personal care sector and we
believe their potential can now be more fully realised with Strength of
Nature.”
Mario de la Guardia, Strength of Nature CEO, added: “We are extremely
pleased to add these great brands to our expanding portfolio. Soft &
Beautiful, Soft & Beautiful Botanicals, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru are
brands with strong consumer following, high awareness and a long
tradition of serving their consumers. We are excited about their
potential, and strongly believe they each provide an excellent
foundation for expanded innovation and product improvement.”
The transaction is expected to close in early December.
SAFE HARBOUR:
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including
'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'will',
'aim', 'expects', 'anticipates', 'intends', 'looks', 'believes',
'vision' or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of
future performance or results, and their negatives, are intended to
identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding
anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Unilever group
(the "Group"). They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of
future performance.
Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. Among other risks and uncertainties, the
material or principal factors which could cause actual results to differ
materially are: Unilever's global brands not meeting consumer
preferences; increasing competitive pressures; Unilever's investment
choices in its portfolio management; inability to find sustainable
solutions to support long-term growth; customer relationships; the
recruitment and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our
supply chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; secure and
reliable IT infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions,
divestitures and business transformation projects; economic and
political risks and natural disasters; the debt crisis in Europe;
financial risks; failure to meet high product safety and ethical
standards; and managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. Further
details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are
described in the Group's filings with the London Stock Exchange, NYSE
Euronext in Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the Group's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31
December 2012 and Annual Report and Accounts 2012. These forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as
required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly
disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates
or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect any change in the Group's expectations with regard thereto or
any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such
statement is based.
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and
Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. Our products
are present in 7 out of 10 homes globally and are used by over 2 billion
people on a daily basis. We work with 173,000 colleagues around the
world and generated annual sales of over €50 billion in 2012. Over half
of our company’s footprint is in the faster growing developing and
emerging markets (57% in Q1 2013). Working to create a better future
every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
Our portfolio includes some of the world’s best known brands such as
Knorr, Persil / Omo, Dove, Sunsilk, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Rexona / Sure,
Wall’s, Lux, Rama, Ponds and Axe, 14 of which now generate a turnover of
€1 billion or more.
Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our
overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and
disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to
helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health
and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably
by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact.
Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars,
underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic
areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/.
Unilever has been recognised in the Dow Jones Sustainability World
Indexes for 14 consecutive years. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index
Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion
in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. In 2012 Unilever
led the Climate Counts Company Scorecard and the list of Global
Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the GlobeScan / Sustainability
latest annual survey - both for the third year running. The company is
an employer of choice in many of the countries in which it operates and
is seen as a symbol for innovation and leadership development.
For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
About Strength of Nature
Strength of Nature is one of the fastest growing companies in the
multi-cultural hair care category, driven by its strong commitment to
consumer understanding and innovation. Strength of Nature’s Mission is
to deliver high quality, innovative products to women and men of color
at fair and affordable prices. Strength of Nature markets a number of
leading brands including Profectiv MegaGrowth, African Pride, Dream
Kids, Beautiful Textures and Elasta QP.
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