Introduction to HUL
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Introduction to HUL Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians with over 20 distinct categories in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. The company’s Turnover is Rs. 20, 239 crores (for the 15 month period – January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009). HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe with annual sales of €40.5 billion in 2008. Unilever has about 52% shareholding in HUL. Hindustan Unilever was recently rated among the top four companies globally in the list of “Global Top Companies for Leaders” by a study sponsored by Hewitt Associates, in partnership with Fortune magazine and the RBL Group. The company was ranked number one in the Asia-Pacific region and in India. The mission that inspires HUL's more than 15,000 employees, including over 1,400 managers, is to “add vitality to life". The company meets everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care, with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. It is a mission HUL shares with its parent company, Unilever, which holds about 52 % of the equity. Heritage HUL’s heritage dates back to 1888, when the first Unilever product, Sunlight, was introduced in India. Local manufacturing began in the 1930s with the establishment of subsidiary companies. They merged in 1956 to form Hindustan Lever Limited (The company was renamed Hindustan Unilever Limited on June 25, 2007). The company created history when it offered equity to Indian shareholders, becoming the first foreign subsidiary company to do so. Today, the company has more than three lakh resident shareholders. HUL’s brands -- like Lifebuoy, Lux, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Sunsilk, Clinic, Close-up, Pepsodent, Lakme, Brooke Bond, Kissan, Knorr, Annapurna, Kwality- Walls - are household names across the country and span many categories - soaps, detergents, personal products, tea, coffee, branded staples, ice cream and culinary products. They are manufactured in over 35 factories, several of them in backward areas of the country. The operations involve over 2,000 suppliers and associates.HUL's distribution network covers 6.3 million retail outlets including direct reach to over 1 million. HUL has traditionally been a company, which incorporates latest technology in all its operations. The Hindustan Lever Research Centre (now Hindustan Unilever Research Centre) was set up in 1958. Doing Well by Doing Good HUL believes that an organisation’s worth is also in the service it renders to the community. HUL focuses on hygiene, nutrition, enhancement of livelihoods, reduction of greenhouse gases and water footprint.It is also involved in education and rehabilitation of special or underprivileged children, care for the destitute and HIV-positive, and rural development. HUL has also responded in case of national calamities / adversities and contributes through various welfare measures, most recent being the relief and rehabilitation of the people affected by the Tsunami disaster, in India. HUL’s Project Shakti is a rural initiative that targets small villages populated by less than 5000 individuals. Through Shakti, HUL is creating micro-enterprise opportunities for rural women, thereby improving their livelihood and the standard of living in rural communities. Shakti also provides health and hygiene education through the Shakti Vani programme.The program now covers 15 states in India and has over 45,000 women entrepreneurs in its fold, reaching out to 100,000 villages and directly reaching to over three million rural consumers. HUL also runs a rural health programme, Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetana. The programme endeavours to induce adoption of hygienic practices among rural Indians and aims to bring down the incidence of diarrhoea. It has already touched 120 million people in approximately 50, 676 villages across India. If Hindustan Unilever straddles the Indian corporate world, it is because of being single- minded in identifying itself with Indian aspirations and needs in every walk of life. Foods From yummy ice creams to scrumptious sauces, our food brands can satisfy even the most discerning palates. Home care Whether you want fresh, soft clothes or sparklingly clean bathrooms, our home care brands can help Personal care In need of hair care heroics? Wanting to relax with a luxurious bath? Our personal care brands have answers to all these questions and more. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. HUL at a glance Our mission Vitality is at the heart of everything we do. It's in our brands, our people and our approach to businessOur mission Unilever's mission is to add Vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Enthused with Vitality Vitality is at the heart of everything we do. It's in our brands, our people and our values. Vitality means different things to different people. Some see it as energy, others view it more broadly as a healthy state of body and mind – of feeling alive. Whatever their personal definition, millions of people around the world use our products daily to add Vitality to their lives - whether that's through feeling great because they've got shiny hair and a brilliant smile, keeping their homes fresh and clean, or by enjoying a great cup of tea, satisfying meal or healthy snack. Ever since the 19th Century when William Hesketh Lever stated that the company's mission was "to make cleanliness commonplace; to lessen work for women; to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products," Vitality has been at the heart of our business. Vitality defines what we stand for: our values, what makes us different, and how we contribute to society. It's the common thread that links our brands and it’s central to the unique way we operate around the world. Health & nutrition Our Vitality mission commits us to growing our business by addressing health and nutrition issues. We focus on priorities including children and family nutrition, cardiovascular health and weight management. Inside & out Our culture also embodies Vitality. Adding Vitality of life requires the highest standards of behaviour towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch and the environments on which we have an impact. The growing demand for more Vitality in life provides us with a huge opportunity for growth. The way we work and the products we develop are shaped by consumer trends, along with the need to help raise health and hygiene standards in both the developing and industrialised regions of the world. Read our mission statement About us • Introduction to HUL • Our mission • Purpose & principles • Our history • Company structure HUL at a glance Incorporation Incorporated in 1933 Turnover Rs.20239 Cr Audited results for January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009 People More than 15000 direct employees including more than 1400 managers Parentage HUL is a part of the €40.5 billion Unilever Group Reach Reaches over 6.3 million retail outlets including direct reach to over 1 million R&D Two R&D centres in India in Mumbai and Bangalore A nnual Report Check our Annual Report for more about our performance, people, operations and brands. View Our brands • Food brands • Home care brands • Personal care brands • Water • Nutrition • Health, hygiene & beauty Our history In the summer of 1888, visitors to the Kolkata harbour noticed crates full of Sunlight soap bars, embossed with the words "Made in England by Lever Brothers". With it, began an era of marketing branded Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Soon after followed Lifebuoy in 1895 and other famous brands like Pears, Lux and Vim. Vanaspati was launched in 1918 and the famous Dalda brand came to the market in 1937. In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935). These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of its equity to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do so. Unilever now holds 52.10% equity in the company. The rest of the shareholding is distributed among about 360,675 individual shareholders and financial institutions. The erstwhile Brooke Bond's presence in India dates back to 1900. By 1903, the company had launched Red Label tea in the country. In 1912, Brooke Bond & Co. India Limited was formed. Brooke Bond joined the Unilever fold in 1984 through an international acquisition. The erstwhile Lipton's links with India were forged in 1898. Unilever acquired Lipton in 1972, and in 1977 Lipton Tea (India) Limited was incorporated. Pond's (India) Limited had been present in India since 1947. It joined the Unilever fold through an international acquisition of Chesebrough Pond's USA in 1986. Since the very early years, HUL has vigorously responded to the stimulus of economic growth. The growth process has been accompanied by judicious diversification, always in line with Indian opinions and aspirations. The liberalisation of the Indian economy, started in 1991, clearly marked an inflexion in HUL's and the Group's growth curve. Removal of the regulatory framework allowed the company to explore every single product and opportunity segment, without any constraints on production capacity. Simultaneously, deregulation permitted alliances, acquisitions and mergers. In one of the most visible and talked about events of India's corporate history, the erstwhile Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO) merged with HUL, effective from April 1, 1993.