HUL sets up JV with Smollan Holdings

HUL sets up JV with Smollan Holdings

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has decided to set up a Joint Venture (JV) with Smollan Holdings of South Africa and the JV will be operational from January 1, 2008. The strategic tie-up aims to build long term capabilities and bring ‘in-store’ execution focus in servicing the Company’s Modern Trade customers.

The new company has been named as Hindustan Unilever Field Services Private Limited (HUFS) and will work exclusively on behalf of HUL in Modern Trade channel only. The operations will begin with the existing Modern Trade in-store execution team of HUL moving into HUFS.

Smollan Holdings is one of the leading ‘in-store execution and field services’ companies internationally. It has leading edge capabilities in servicing Modern Trade focused on shelf filling, logistics for merchandising materials and in store execution.

Sanjiv Kakkar, Executive Director, Sales & Customer Development, HUL, said, “Modern Trade in India is growing and evolving very rapidly and our strategy for winning in this growing retail market is to win at point-of-purchase with our shoppers & by delivering best-in-class service to our Modern Trade customers. This JV will bring in world class execution excellence in the market and build the right capabilities to deliver the company’s marketing strategy in Modern Trade”.