How consumer giant Unilever rebuilds niche brands - with its own “incubator”

WITH over 400 brands and 190 countries to manage, consumer goods juggernaut Unilever relies on its business unit, Unilever International (UI), to fill in gaps not covered by its immense portfolio.

Born in 2012 out of a need to “serve the underserved markets”, UI works with Unilever’s category and country teams to identify segments that are niche or “hard to serve”, or that are not strategic for the mainstream business, said chief executive Umesh Shah. This includes many smaller markets such as Mongolia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Maldives, and Yemen. 

Instead of having Unilever build factories and operations there, UI partners local distributors to import products. For example in the cold-weathered Mongolia, UI introduced its petroleum jelly brand Vaseline as a moisturiser for dry skin in 2018. According to Shah, it is now “ one of the leading skin care brands” in the area.