LONDON and ROTTERDAM, Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Unilever announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Blueair, the world's leading supplier of innovative mobile indoor air purification technologies and solutions.
Launched in 1996 in Stockholm, Blueair had a turnover of US$106m in 2015 and is a leading player in the premium category of air purifiers in markets like China, US, Japan, South Korea and India. This significant venture in air purification will further complement Unilever's existing water purification business.
Nitin Paranjpe, President of Unilever's Home Care business said: "We are delighted to be adding Blueair to our Home Care portfolio.The Blueair brand and products are widely known and represent exceptional quality and design, as well as superior capacity and performance. Blueair was founded on the belief that business should be a force for good in society, which is shared by Unilever."
Sold in over 60 countries around the world, Blueair has grown rapidly in recent years as the demand for indoor air purification has increased, as consumers become more aware of the health and wellbeing risks posed by poor air quality. Blueair's acclaimed air purifying products remove up to 99.97% of all contaminants from the air, including hazardous sooty particles, allergens and viruses.
Blueair founder Bengt Rittri, who calls clean air a basic right, said: "Blueair was launched 20 years ago with the mission to start a clean air revolution by bringing people the world's best air purifiers."
"This mission remains embedded in the company values of Blueair today as we continuously work to elevate people's health and wellbeing in a world where WHO says outdoor air pollution has been continuously increasing over the past several years, with billions of people now exposed to dangerous air. We are saying yes to leveraging the help of Unilever – one of the world's most admired corporations for its sustainability practices – to help Blueair take the next step to allow more people to take action to create safe indoor havens for themselves, their loved ones, work colleagues and customers. Unilever is the best possible partner to help Blueair more quickly fulfil its mission to help people enjoy the health benefits of breathing clean air."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory and other approvals.
Media Enquiries
Unilever: Louise Phillips, louise.phillips@unilever.com or +44 7825 049151
Blueair: David Noble, david.noble@blueair.se or +44 7785 302694
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Refreshment, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. It has 169,000 employees and generated sales of €53.3 billion in 2015. Over half (58%) of the company's footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann's, Lipton, Wall's, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry's, Marmite, Magnum and Lynx.
Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) commits to:
Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2015 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 2015 GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey for the fifth year running. Unilever was ranked the most sustainable food and beverage company in Oxfam's Behind the Brands Scorecard in 2016 for the second year.
Unilever has been named in LinkedIn's Top 3 most sought-after employers across all sectors.
For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com. For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/
About Blueair
Founded in 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden, Blueair innovates, manufactures and commercializes award-winning indoor air purifying technologies and products for consumers and businesses. Available in over 62 markets worldwide, Blueair air purifiers are designed to enhance user health and wellbeing by removing airborne allergens, asthma triggers, viruses, bacteria and other pollutants in home, work and leisure environments. www.blueair.com
Cautionary statement
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. 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.
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