Unilever eyes growth in Russia

In line with its ongoing focus on emerging markets, Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever plans to double the capacities of its St Petersburg Severnoe Siyanie (Northern Lights) factory, the company’s flagship facility for the production of perfume and cosmetics products in Russia.

According to Unilever, the current capacity of the factory is estimated at 90,000 tonnes, while the launch of the new lines will allow it to increase this to 180,000 tonnes.

As part of the project, the company will build a new production facility with the total area of 7,500sqm and will reconstruct the production and warehouse complex, which will have a total area of 30,000sqm. The company’s total investment in the project is estimated at €36m.

According to Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, the launch of new product lines is scheduled for the end of 2014, which will cater to the growing demand for cosmetics from Russian customers. According to Polman, the company considers the Russian market promising, with potential for further development and growth.