Unilever looks to India to deliver what China did for rivals: CEO

Mumbai: Unilever plans to use India as a blueprint for growth in other emerging countries, chief executive officer (CEO) Fernando Fernandez said at the company's Capital Markets day event.

“I am absolutely convinced that India will be for Unilever in the next decade, what China has been for some of our competitors in the previous decade. We have an incredible moat in terms of distribution, not only in physical stores but also in online,” Fernandez said.

“India is our blueprint for emerging markets. We have the wider portfolio covering practically all price points in a very significant number of categories, and we have four times the market share of our main competitor,” he said.

Emerging markets constitute about 50% of the world population, including countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa and Vietnam. “We have No.1 position in all these markets. Many of our competitors have abandoned these markets,” he said.

Unilever's India arm, Hindustan Unilever Ltd has 55% share in haircare, close to 50% share in laundry and 80% share in functional drinks, 35% share in skin cleansing, more than 30% in suncare in the Indian market, he said. HUL covers more than 9 million retail outlets, according to Fernandez.

HUL’s revenue from operations rose 6% to ₹17,543 crore, with a 7% rise in underlying volume growth in the July-September quarter. The volume growth was the highest the company has seen in 21 quarters.

“We sell close to 85 billion packs in India every single year. 60 per person….16% of the revenue of Unilever,” Fernando said.

He also said that the company is learning the tricks of quick commerce from India. “ In the case of quick commerce, we are learning how to service this kind of models,” he said.

“We have grown our business in India at a 40% growth rate in the last 11 quarters. We have grown our e-commerce business in India with the likes of Blinkit or and some other companies. They are at 55%,” he said.

Fernando added that customer service in quick commerce for HUL is at 90% today, against 76% from a year ago. “We are by far the best service level in the industry in India,” he said.

Also Read | HUL faces margin pressure as input costs rise

Products like Lux and Rexona which are major mass-market products in India will be a key focus area for the company. “Lux and Rexona - these are big, very, very important brands for us in the future, and if we can put them in the kind of dynamism that we have achieved with brands like Persil or Dove or Vaseline, it will cement our leadership in skin cleansing and deals,” he said.

Neethi Lisa Rojan is a senior correspondent focusing on the consumer goods and retail sector working from Mumbai for Mint since 2026. She has been a journalist for a little over two years with Moneycontrol and The Morning Context. She has covered the consumer and healthcare sectors in earlier roles. She was a double gold medallist during her bachelor’s from Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala and post-graduation from Pondicherry University. With a background in commerce and journalism, she brings a sharp analytical lens to stories on India’s fast-evolving consumer goods and retail sector.<br><br>With an academic background in business administration and a keen eye for financial statement analysis, she bridges the gap between corporate data and compelling narrative journalism. Her reporting is characterized by a focus on how evolving consumer behaviours and regulatory changes impact India's largest mass-market brands. She is a keen learner with diplomas in international business, human rights and journalism. She specialized in business journalism at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. When she is not looking into shopping carts, you can find her explaining the latest conspiracy theory.

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