16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:35 Page 1 The Formation of Unilever 16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:35 Page 2 Unilever House, London, c1930 16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:36 Page 03 In September 1929 an agreement was signed which created what The Economist described as "one of the biggest industrial amalgamations in European history". It provided for the merger in the following year of the Margarine Union and Lever Brothers Limited. The Margarine Union had been formed in 1927 by the Van den Bergh and Jurgens companies based in the Netherlands, and was later joined by a number of other Dutch and central European companies. Its main strength lay in Europe, especially Germany and the UK and its interests, whilst mostly in margarine and other edible fats, were also oil milling and animal feeds, retail companies and some soap production. Lever Brothers Limited was based in the UK but owned companies throughout the world, especially in Europe, the United States and the British Dominions. Its interests were in soap, toilet preparations, food (including some margarine), oil milling and animal feeds, plantations and African trading. One of the main reasons for the merger was competition for raw materials - animal and vegetable oils - used in both the manufacture of margarine and soap. However, the two businesses were very similar, so it made sense to merge as Unilever rather than continue to compete for the same raw materials and in the same markets. To understand how Unilever came into being you have to go back to the family companies that were instrumental in its formation. This is where our story begins. The Van den Berghs Simon Van den Bergh was born in 1819 in Geffen (the same village from which the Jurgens family was in the Netherlands and entered his father's barter also building its business). Simon decided to expand trade at an early age. Later he specialised as a butter his business by exporting butter to England, the merchant and with his seven sons - Jacob, Mauritz, biggest market for Dutch butter, but ran into financial Henry, Zadok, Izak, Arnold and Samuel - built a difficulties so, in 1870, Jacob and Henry were sent thriving butter trade from the village of Oss in Brabant to London to look after the company's interests there. The Van den Bergh factory in Rotterdam, nd. 03 16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:36 Page 04 The invention of margarine in 1869, a butter substitute similar product for Van den Bergh. With their made from animal fat, changed the family’s fortunes. enthusiasm and business acumen Van den Bergh Around 1871 their rivals, the Jurgens family, obtained soon caught up with Jurgens and overtook them the formula for making margarine from its inventor, in both production and profits. The development of Mège Mouriès. Inexplicably, Jan Jurgens visited Simon hydrogenation, a technique for hardening vegetable Van den Bergh with a sample of his new product. oils made it possible to use a wide range of raw His curiosity stimulated, Simon commissioned Daniel materials, not just animal fat. In 1891 Van den Bergh Hipkins of Tipton, near Birmingham, to develop a left Oss for new headquarters in Rotterdam. The Van den Berghs in England As their business expanded in the late 19th century, The English business acted as a holding company the Van den Bergh family's resources were running low for the family's business interests everywhere. and avenues of financial backing in the Netherlands The Van den Berghs did not have to relinquish any had already been exhausted. It was easier to raise influence as they owned the ordinary shares. £450,000 capital in London, so the company went public there worth of preference shares were issued to the general on 9 March 1895, establishing a public limited public and two English directors were appointed to company. The old partnership was sold to this new company which was called Van den Bergh's watch over their interests. As managing directors and Margarine Limited (although the "Margarine" was majority shareholders in the new company, the Van den dropped after two years when the company changed Berghs preserved the original partners' control of the its name to Van den Berghs Limited on 29 May 1897). capital and management of the business. Key Brands The Sunlight trade mark was registered by Lever & Co in 1884 although the product was, at first, manufactured for them by other soapmakers. Then, in 1888, William Lever acquired land on the banks of the river Mersey and started to build his own factory, together with a village in which to house his workers that he would call Port Sunlight. By 1897 the factory was producing 2,400 tons of Sunlight household soap per week, and production of Lifebuoy, a toilet soap, was started in 1900. Lux was first used as a name for soap flakes in 1900; Lux toilet soap was launched in the USA in 1925 and Europe in 1928. Shortly afterwards began the decades long advertising campaign using film stars to promote Blue Band. The campaign used the slogan “Blue promote the brand. Lever Brothers also diversified into Band – versch gekarnd”, meaning freshly churned, and it margarine and produced the first vitaminised margarine, rapidly became the most popular margarine brand in The Viking, in 1927. Netherlands. Van den Bergh first launched their branded margarine on Solo was launched by Jurgens in 1899 to counter the Van the German market with Vitello in 1898, which was den Bergh entry into the German market. This was manufactured from animal fats, and its superior quality to followed by Pheasant. Although Jurgens registered Stork its competitors ensured its rapid success. It was soon as a trademark in London in August 1900 they did not joined by Sanella, manufactured from animal fats and introduce the branded margarine until 1920. Over the almond oil, and a Kosher margarine, Sana, in 1899. years the name Stork became synonymous with home Blue Band was launched in the UK in 1916 by Van den baking, especially in the UK. Rama was launched in Bergh, but not until 1923 in the Netherlands. It was Germany in 1924 where it quickly became a rival to Blue unusual at the time because it was made entirely from Band and, with the formation of the Margarine Union in vegetable and ground nut oils. Van den Bergh used 1927, the two brands were merged into one as Rama im Coppens, an Amsterdam advertising agency that was Blauband. influenced by English and American techniques, to 04 16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:36 Page 05 BlauBand Air Transport, c1930 Fore-runner of the Equalisation Agreement In 1919 the Van den Berghs founded Van den whose entire ordinary capital was held by NV Van Bergh's Fabrieken NV in Rotterdam, to which den Bergh's Fabrieken, made an agreement that the continental interests of Van den Bergh were an agreed ratio would be maintained between the transferred. The members of the Dutch side of the dividends on the three companies' shares, and family exchanged their Van den Bergh Limited shares between any payment or liquidation. By creating and for shares in the NV company. Van den Berghs incorporating two parent companies, one in England Limited and Van den Bergh's Fabrieken NV together and one in The Netherlands, Van den Bergh avoided then headed the Van den Bergh group. These problems such as double taxation. This arrangement two companies with a third one, NV Hollandsche set the precedent for the subsequent structure of the Vereeniging tot Exploitatie van Margarinefabrieken, Margarine Union and, consequently, Unilever. The Jurgens Company In the 18th century the Jurgens family were carpenters, Jan, Henri and Arnold were also actively involved in working along the Dutch-German border repairing the firm and from the early 1870s were developing agricultural implements and farm utensils. Lacking the manufacture of margarine. ready money, many farmers paid the Jurgens in butter, which they sold in nearby towns. As this proved to By the end of 1888 Jurgens, as well as Van den Bergh, be a profitable enterprise, brothers Willem, Jan and was making margarine in Germany to counter the Leonard Jurgens moved to the Dutch town of Oss in import tariff. They launched a branded margarine, 1801 to focus their attention on the butter trade. Solo, in 1899 and succeeded in buying a large German business, A L Mohr of Hamburg, in 1904, They prospered in Oss and shrewd marriages speeded against competition from Van den Bergh. A general their progress. Two of Willem's nine children, Anton holding company, NV Anton Jurgens Vereenigde and Johannes worked with their father in the butter Fabrieken, was set up in 1906 comprising all the trade and in 1854 formed their own partnership, Jurgens’ interests in The Netherlands. Gebroeders Jurgens, to run the linseed oil mill and general business, whilst concentrating on the extension of the butter trade. By 1860 Anton's sons, 05 16944-Unilever 20pp A5:Layout 1 15/11/11 14:36 Page 06 The Pooling Agreements The Dutch margarine industry as a whole saw its supplies of soap and margarine, as well as glycerine, a competitive strength weaken in 1906 and 1907 by-product, for explosives. Post-war there was a because butter was in plentiful supply and this lowered boom. Jurgens had started their own plant at Purfleet the value of margarine. Van den Bergh and Jurgens in England in 1917, but began buying existing factories faced stiff competition in England from Otto Monsted, a to extend their production.