Who owns Unilever South Africa
Most brands are out to ensure that they are sensitizing potential clients about the products they offer. Social media is one of the platforms that most brands are turning to as a platform to reach out to multitudes. However, a couple of days ago, a famous brand found itself on the wrong side of the equation, and the effect of this incident was immense. How about delving in for details on Unilever South Africa?
Source: UGC
Unilever South Africa has set a record of being one of the top employers in the country. This is because of the long list of brands that it is affiliated with. For example, it is the supplier of TRESemme products in the country.
Who owns Unilever South Africa?
Unilever South Africa is one of the largest FMCG companies in the country. It is more than a century old, and it boasts of employing more than 3000 direct employees in its seven manufacturing locations in the country.
READ ALSO: EFF thanks ground forces for aid in battle against Clicks, Unilever
History of Unilever South Africa
In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, the founder of the Lever Brothers, wrote down his idea about Sunlight, a new product that he believed would popularise cleanliness in Victorian England. In 1891, the company started operations in South Africa by registering the Sunlight trademark. The company used to ship consignments of the soaps because by then the tariffs for shipping vegetable oils were significantly high.
In 1904, Lever Brothers was incorporated as a company, and a couple of years later, it purchased land in Cape Town and set up its first company at the Maydon Wharf. The company expanded and ventured into edible oils, and by the time the second world war was taking place, it was one an essential supplier of the edible oils and soap.
After the second world war, Lever Brothers introduced new products like talcum powder, shampoo, and toothpaste to its list. By 1953, the company was venturing into the packaged soup market, and it kicked off the business by establishing the Walls Ice Cream. In 1969, the Lever Brothers consolidated all the companies, and this marked the birth of Unilever South Africa.
READ ALSO: EFF and Unilever reach agreement over ad, ending week of protests Read more:
Unilever South Africa products
Source: UGC
The company deals is a conglomerate of different brands that deal with a wide range of products. The brands include:
- Food and refreshment brands like Lipton, Knorr, Joko Tea
- Home care brands like Comfort, Handy Andy, Domestos, OMO
- Personal care brands like Dove, Axe, Vaseline, Lifebuoy
Unilever South Africa address
For any inquiries about the Unilever Durban offices, one can reach out through any of these contact details:
- Physical address: 15 Nollsworth crescent, Durban North 4019, South Africa
- Phone number: +27 31 570 2000
- These contact details
Unilever South Africa news
Source: UGC
This week has been filled with tension after Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, was called out for racist allegations. These claims were made after TRESemmé; a hair care products brand that the company supplies, shared an advert that deemed African natural hair as dry, damaged, frizzy, and dull. The advert was featured on Clicks Pharmacy's social media platforms, and this caused the pharmacy to be dragged into the murky situation.
Even though the two brands pulled down the adverts, the outrage that the situation caused is immense. Top stores like Checkers, Pick n Pay, and Shoprite had resolved to pull TRESemmé from their shelves. Clicks Pharmacy was forced to close down their stores because of the demonstrations that the situation brew. The EFF was vocal about the situation and had even led protests outside several Clicks Pharmacy stores in the country.
Putting the matter to rest
On 10th September 2020, Unilever had a joint meeting with the EFF to discuss the issue, and they came to a consensus about the subject. The meeting culminated in the two parties agreeing that TRESemmé hair care products will be put back on the shelves after ten days. To add to it, the two parties issued a statement that indicated that they had agreed on the following,
- Unilever would express remorse to South African black women for the racist remarks.
- Unilever would demonstrate remorse by withdrawing all the TRESemmé SA products from retail stores for ten days.
- Unilever will donate not less than 10,000 sanitary towels and sanitisers to the selected informal settlements that the EFF would identify.
READ ALSO: Pick n Pay, Shoprite join retail giants boycotting TRESemmé over ad
Unmet demand
The EFF did not only make the demands mentioned above, and it also asked the company to reveal the individuals who were involved in the advert. However, the brand declined to reveal the names of the officials stating,
We could not find each other on the publishing of the names of the people responsible for the racist image,
Moreover, the director involved in the campaign has since left the company and the country,
The company went further to state that it would take action on the remaining employees that were involved in the advert.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most recent incident about racist claims has made most people curious about the company. Some have stopped to question whether the company is a good employer. The answers to these questions will help in clearing the air.
Is Unilever South Africa a good employer?
Unilever is one of the best employers in South Africa. It has set a record of receiving accolades for being a top employer. In 2016, it was recognised as the number one employer in Africa for the third time in a row.
Where are Unilever factories?
Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company whose headquarters are situated in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and London, UK. The company has branches in around 190 countries, and it owns more than 400 factories. The 400 factories are situated in different parts of the world.
Is Nivea owned by Unilever?
Nivea is a German personal care brand. It specialises in body care, and it is owned by Beiersdorf Global AG. Beiersdorf Global AG is a company that is based in Hamburg.
What are your thoughts on the incident and how Unilever South Africa handled the situation? Are you satisfied with the resolution that was made in calming the matter?
READ ALSO: EFF to meet with Clicks, Unilever over their controversial advert
Briefly.co.za recently published details of how the EFF had agreed to meet to solve the controversial matter about the alleged racist claims. The meeting geared at putting to rest the protests that the issue had instigated.
TRESemme, a haircare brand, was called out for airing a racial advert that demeaned black African natural hair. The TRESemme advert caused a brawl, and the EFF led the protests to express how Mzansi felt about the brand.
READ ALSO:
- Checkers ditches TRESemmé: Pressure to expose execs behind Clicks ad
- Clicks dumps TRESemmé over ad: Favours supporting local brands instead
- Babalwa Mneno joins protest action against Clicks and TRESemmé
Source: Briefly News
