Unilever’s Response to Plans of Russianizing its Brands

MOSCOW, July 17 – Irina Antiushina, director of corporate relations and sustainable development for Unilever in Russia and Belarus, told reporters that the consumer goods manufacturer Unilever has no plans to Russify or otherwise change its brands in Russia.

In early July, Anyushina also told the agency that Unilever’s factories and offices in Russia continue to work to supply the country’s domestic market.

Prior to that, the Ukrainian National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) stated that it had included the British company Unilever in the list of international sponsors of the war due to the company’s refusal to leave the Russian market. According to the national agency, the company promised to stop all imports and exports of its products to and from Russia, as well as to stop all media and advertising spending. However, Unilever Russia’s profits doubled over the past year, from 56 million euros in 2021 to 108 million euros last year.

In March last year, Unilever announced the suspension of its exports and imports from Russia, as well as the cessation of investment in the country and spending on media and advertising.

Unilever was founded in 1930 as a result of the merger of the Dutch company Margarine Uni and the British company Lever Brothers. Its portfolio currently includes nearly 400 brands represented in the markets of 170 countries. Among them are Lux, OMO, Signal, Impulse, Sunsilk, Timotei, Denim, Delmy, Dove, Rexona, Ax, Domestos, Knorr and a number of others.