Unilever Expands in Latin America with Quala’s Brands

Unilever will acquire the personal care and home care brands of Quala, the Latin American consumer goods company.
 
Founded in 1980, Quala now has a strong presence in ten countries in Latin America: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Its personal care and home care portfolio includes leading local brands Savital/Savilé (hair care and skin cleansing), eGo (male hair care and styling), Bio-Expert (hair care), Fortident (oral care) and Aromatel (fabric conditioners); with a combined turnover of more than $400 million in 2016. 
 
“We are delighted to be acquiring Quala’s personal care and home care portfolio,” said Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. “Quala has done an outstanding job of building strong and competitive local brands. The inclusion of these brands in our stable will consolidate our leading position in hair care globally, and contribute to our oral care and male grooming businesses, complementing very well our existing offering.” 
 
According to Miguel Kozuszok, executive vice president, Latin America, Unilever, Quala’s brands provide Unilever with  “even sounder footing in Latin America, broadening our offering in Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador. We look forward to continuing to grow these great brands.” 
 
Quala’s Savital/Savilé is the number one brand in haircare by volume in Colombia, and has a good presence in the rest of the North Latin America region.  eGo is the number one male hair grooming brand in Colombia and Mexico, and has presence across eight markets; with 85% of its turnover coming from styling. 
 
Fortident is the number two oral care brand in Colombia and Ecuador, showing steady market share growth.
 
Aromatel is a strong brand that rapidly achieved the number two position in fabric conditioners in Colombia and Ecuador, and will complement well Unilever’s laundry business in those markets. 
 
“The acquisition of Quala’s personal care and homecare business reinforces Unilever’s commitment to our long-term model of compounding growth and sustainable value creation. The active management of the portfolio through bolt-on acquisitions such as this one, and the sustained investment in our existing brands, will help us deliver continued growth ahead of our markets,” Polman added. 
 
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.