Unilever today announced an agreement to
acquire Schmidt’s Naturals, a personal care company based in
Portland, Oregon.
Founded in 2010 by Jaime Schmidt, Schmidt’s Naturals started as
a deodorant brand and has extended its offering to bar soap and
toothpaste. Schmidt’s natural deodorants include award-winning
formulas derived from plants and minerals. Its most popular
variants include Charcoal + Magnesium, Rose + Vanilla, Lavender +
Sage, as well as fragrance-free offerings.
“Schmidt’s Naturals is a strong, innovative brand in the
fast-growing natural category, and nicely complements our existing
portfolio of US deodorants which includes leading brands Degree,
Axe and Dove,” said Kees Kruythoff, President, Unilever North
America. “The brand’s focus on transparency and mission to make
natural products accessible to everyone aligns closely with
Unilever values and represents an exciting category expansion for
our family of brands.”
Alan Jope, President, Unilever Personal Care, added: “Schmidt’s
Naturals is a great strategic fit for our Personal Care business,
allowing us to reach new consumers who prefer natural options. We
look forward to utilizing our Personal Care leadership to extend
Schmidt’s Naturals into new sales channels and geographies.”
Co-founders Jaime Schmidt and Michael Cammarata will continue to
be involved with the brand.
“Today is a momentous day in the history of Schmidt's Naturals
as we announce our joining of the Unilever family of brands,” said
Jaime Schmidt, Founder, Schmidt’s Naturals. “Thanks to our
community, what started humbly in my kitchen and local farmers’
markets has grown into homes worldwide. I am proud to say that as a
result of our partnership with Unilever, we are better positioned
than ever in our mission to make natural products accessible to
all. Moreover, Unilever’s substantive actions towards creating a
more sustainable and equitable future for diverse peoples across
the planet further fuels the enthusiasm behind our alliance.”
Michael Cammarata, Co-founder and CEO, Schmidt’s Naturals: “As
long as I can remember, I’ve had one dream—to build and be part of
a meaningful company that would help change the world and empower
people everywhere to live their best lives. Today, Schmidt’s
Naturals and Unilever are coming together to bring natural products
to the world in new and innovative ways. Through our partnership,
we look forward to Unilever taking Schmidt’s Naturals to new
heights and cementing the brand’s mission.”
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Subject to any
applicable governmental authorizations, the transaction is expected
to close no later than the first quarter 2018.
About Unilever North America:
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home
Care, Personal Care and Refreshment products with sales in over 190
countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United
States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe,
Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair
Therapy, Country Crock, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Fruttare,
Good Humor, Hellmann’s, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, Klondike,
Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, PG Tips,
Pond’s, Popsicle, Promise, Pukka, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh
Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington’s, St. Ives, Suave, Tazo, T2,
Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of
the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks
of the Unilever Group of Companies.
Unilever employs more than 9,000 people across North America –
generating more than $10 billion in sales in 2016.
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan commits to:
- Helping more than a billion people
take action to improve their health and well-being by
2020.
- Halving the environmental impact of
our products by 2030.
- Enhancing the livelihoods of
millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating
costs and reducing risks. The company’s sustainable living brands
are growing 50% faster than the rest of the business and delivered
more than 60% of the company’s growth in 2016.
Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2017 Dow
Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index, it achieved the
highest environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global
Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the 2017
GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey for the seventh year
running. Unilever has pledged to become carbon positive in its
operations by 2030.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit:
www.unileverusa.comFor more information on Unilever Canada and its
brands visit: www.unilever.ca
About Schmidt’s
Naturals:
With the mission to "change the way you think about deodorant,"
Schmidt’s Naturals believes that the future of personal care
products is in plant and mineral-powered formulas that really work.
With eye-popping packaging, alluring scents derived from
botanicals, and innovative formulations, Schmidt's is a safe and
effective alternative to conventional products. Follow Schmidt's
Naturals (@SchmidtsNaturals) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
For more information on Schmidt's Naturals, please visit
schmidtsnaturals.com.
Cautionary Statement/Safe Harbour:
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements,
including ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the
United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements related to underlying sales growth and
underlying operating margin. Words such as ‘will’, ‘aim’,
‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘intends’, ‘looks’, ‘believes’, ‘vision’,
or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of
future performance or results, and their negatives, are intended to
identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions
regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the
Unilever Group (the “Group”). They are not historical facts, nor
are they guarantees of future performance.
Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by
these forward-looking statements. Among other risks and
uncertainties, the material or principal factors which could cause
actual results to differ materially are: Unilever's global brands
not meeting consumer preferences; Unilever's ability to innovate
and remain competitive; Unilever's investment choices in its
portfolio management; inability to find sustainable solutions to
support long-term growth; customer relationships; the recruitment
and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our supply
chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; the production of
safe and high quality products; secure and reliable IT
infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions, divestitures
and business transformation projects; economic and political risks
and natural disasters; the effect of climate change on Unilever's
business; financial risks; failure to meet high and ethical
standards; and managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this
announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or
regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any
forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change
in the Group's expectations with regard thereto or any change in
events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is
based. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties
affecting the Group are described in the Group's filings with the
London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and
Exchange Commission, including in the Annual Report on Form 20-F
2016 and the Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2016.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171214006077/en/
UnileverJoelle Hutcheon,
201-894-7760Unilever Media
RelationsJoelle.Hutcheon@unilever.comorSchmidt’s NaturalsElana
WeissElana@therosegrp.comAshley
TomAshley@therosegrp.com
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