Unilever Agrees to Sell Soft & Beautiful, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru to Strength of Nature

Unilever today announced that it has signed an agreement for the sale of its Soft & Beautiful, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru brands to Strength of Nature for an undisclosed amount. The sale excludes TCB’s business in Africa.

Kees Kruythoff, president of Unilever North America, said: “Soft & Beautiful, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru are each terrific brands with a long legacy in the ethnic hair care category. These brands are part of one of the fastest growing categories in the personal care sector and we believe their potential can now be more fully realised with Strength of Nature.”

Mario de la Guardia, Strength of Nature CEO, added: “We are extremely pleased to add these great brands to our expanding portfolio. Soft & Beautiful, Soft & Beautiful Botanicals, TCB and Pro-Line Comb-Thru are brands with strong consumer following, high awareness and a long tradition of serving their consumers. We are excited about their potential, and strongly believe they each provide an excellent foundation for expanded innovation and product improvement.”

The transaction is expected to close in early December.

SAFE HARBOUR:

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'will', 'aim', 'expects', 'anticipates', 'intends', 'looks', 'believes', 'vision' or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, and their negatives, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Unilever group (the "Group"). They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance.

Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Among other risks and uncertainties, the material or principal factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are: Unilever's global brands not meeting consumer preferences; increasing competitive pressures; Unilever's investment choices in its portfolio management; inability to find sustainable solutions to support long-term growth; customer relationships; the recruitment and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our supply chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; secure and reliable IT infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions, divestitures and business transformation projects; economic and political risks and natural disasters; the debt crisis in Europe; financial risks; failure to meet high product safety and ethical standards; and managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group's filings with the London Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext in Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Group's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2012 and Annual Report and Accounts 2012. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. Our products are present in 7 out of 10 homes globally and are used by over 2 billion people on a daily basis. We work with 173,000 colleagues around the world and generated annual sales of over €50 billion in 2012. Over half of our company’s footprint is in the faster growing developing and emerging markets (57% in Q1 2013). Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Our portfolio includes some of the world’s best known brands such as Knorr, Persil / Omo, Dove, Sunsilk, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Rexona / Sure, Wall’s, Lux, Rama, Ponds and Axe, 14 of which now generate a turnover of €1 billion or more.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever has been recognised in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for 14 consecutive years. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. In 2012 Unilever led the Climate Counts Company Scorecard and the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the GlobeScan / Sustainability latest annual survey - both for the third year running. The company is an employer of choice in many of the countries in which it operates and is seen as a symbol for innovation and leadership development.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.

About Strength of Nature

Strength of Nature is one of the fastest growing companies in the multi-cultural hair care category, driven by its strong commitment to consumer understanding and innovation. Strength of Nature’s Mission is to deliver high quality, innovative products to women and men of color at fair and affordable prices. Strength of Nature markets a number of leading brands including Profectiv MegaGrowth, African Pride, Dream Kids, Beautiful Textures and Elasta QP.

Contacts:

Strength of Nature Media:
Richard de Wilde, 912-234-3700
dick@songlobal.com
www.strengthofnature.com
or
Unilever Media:
Unilever PLC (London):
Lucila Zambrano, +44 207 822 6719
Press-Office.London@unilever.com
or
Unilever NV (Rotterdam):
Flip Dötsch, +31 (0) 10 2174844
mediarelations.rotterdam@unilever.com
or
Unilever North America (Englewood Cliffs, NJ):
Anita Larsen, +1-201-894-7760
MediaRelations.USA@unilever.com

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