Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Unilever website provides the following historical information: In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros, wrote down his ideas for Sunlight Soap, a revolutionary new product that helped popularise cleanliness and hygiene in Victorian England. Although Unilever wasn't formed until 1930, the companies that joined forces to create the business were already well established before the start of the 20th century.
Unilever's founding companies produced products made of oils and fats, principally soap and margarine. In the 1920s, with businesses expanding fast, companies set up negotiations intending to stop others producing the same types of products. But instead they agreed to merge - and so Unilever was created.
See http://www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ourhistory/ for more information.