Unilever drops Brut brand in Americas

International consumer goods giant Unilever has announced the completion of the sale of its Brut brand of male personal care products in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and elsewhere in Latin America to Helen of Troy of El Paso, Texas, for $55 million (€47.07m) in cash.

The two companies announced on 2 September 2003 that they had reached a definitive agreement.

Helen of Troy Limited is a designer, producer and marketer of brand name personal care consumer products and has license agreements with leading brand names such as Revlon, P&G and Shiseido.The Brut brand includes fragrance, antiperspirant and deodorant products and had combined sales of $45 million in 2002 in the Americas. Unilever assures that this transaction does not affect its ownership of the Brut brand in the rest of the world outside of the Americas, including Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.

The sale by Unilever is part of the company's Path to Growth strategy, a five-year strategic plan announced in February 2000 designed to accelerate top-line growth and further increase operating margins. According to a statement from Unilever, the plan includes a series of initiatives to focus on fewer, stronger brands and businesses and to promote faster growth.

Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products companies with annual sales of approximately $47 billion in 2002. It produces and markets a wide range of foods and home and personal care products and operates in around 100 countries around the globe.