Unilever
Unilever is a London-headquartered consumer goods group with four business groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods. It reported 2025 turnover of EUR 50.5 billion.
Industry: Consumer goods | Location: London, United Kingdom | Founded: 1930
About Unilever
Unilever PLC is a consumer goods company whose principal executive offices are at Unilever House in London. It is organised in four business groups: Beauty and Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods. Its brands include Dove, Vaseline, Hellmann's, Knorr and Domestos. Its shares are listed in London, with a secondary listing in Amsterdam and American depositary shares in New York.
Unilever was formed by the merger of the Dutch Margarine Unie and the British soapmaker Lever Brothers, which Wikipedia dates to 1930. Fernando Fernandez is chief executive, having succeeded Hein Schumacher, who stepped down on 31 May 2025. Srinivas Phatak is chief financial officer, and Ian Meakins has chaired the board since December 2023.
In 2025 the business groups reported turnover of EUR 12.8 billion in Beauty and Wellbeing, EUR 13.2 billion in Personal Care, EUR 11.6 billion in Home Care and EUR 12.9 billion in Foods. Power Brands made up 78 percent of turnover.
In Saudi Arabia, Unilever says it has operated for over 50 years through a partnership with the Binzagr family, with a head office in Jeddah, sales offices in Riyadh and Dammam, and a Jeddah factory. It says more than 1,000 people work there. In 2025 the Jeddah factory launched what Unilever calls the Middle East's first deodorant stick production line.
The Magnum Ice Cream Company demerger completed on 6 December 2025, with Unilever keeping a stake of about 19.9 percent to be sold down over time. Unilever reported ten acquisitions and disposals since the start of 2025, including Wild, Dr. Squatch and Minimalist, and sales of Conimex, The Vegetarian Butcher, Kate Somerville and Graze. On 31 March 2026 it announced plans to combine its food business with McCormick, expected to close in mid-2027 subject to approvals.
For 2025 Unilever reported turnover of EUR 50.5 billion, down 3.8 percent, underlying sales growth of 3.5 percent, operating profit of EUR 9.0 billion and an underlying operating margin of 20.0 percent. Net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 9.5 billion, including EUR 3.8 billion from discontinued operations.
Leadership
- Fernando Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer
- Srinivas Phatak, Chief Financial Officer
- Ian Meakins, Chair