Russian authorities have allowed the sale of the business to the British corporation Unilever

A subcommittee of the government commission for foreign investment control has allowed Unilever to sell its business in Russia. After the transaction is completed, the company will completely leave the Russian market. The value of the company’s Russian business was estimated at 35-40 billion rubles.

The buyer has been “identified but not named” and no further details have yet been released. The deal was approved by the Federal Antimonopoly Service in August.

Unilever produces food products and ice cream, cosmetics and household chemicals. These are the brands Knorr, Zolotoy Standard, Inmarko, Dove, Velvet Handles, Clean Line, Black Pearl, Domestos, Axe, Rexona and others. As part of the deal, a division of Unilever Rus LLC, which owns the company’s brands, will be sold.

In the summer of 2024, Unilever began Russifying the names of its products produced in Russia. Rospatent has received applications for the trademarks “Domestos” and “Sif”, “Dove” and “Rexona”. They took this step so that these brands could continue to be produced in Russia, and this would also affect the cost of the entire business upon its sale.

In August, the Moscow Arbitration Court ended proceedings on the claim of the British company Unilever Global IP Limited. Previously, it filed a claim to protect the trademarks: the word Domestos and the five volumetric (plastic) bottles in which this product was sold. But the company decided to abandon it.