Latest news with #Anglo-Dutch
Fashion Network
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Unilever to build state-of-the-art fragrance facility in UK
FMCG giant Unilever is set to build an £80 million fragrance facility near Liverpool that will transform its longstanding facility in Port Sunlight. It should be complete in 2027, although many of its functions will start earlier than that. It's part of a £300 million package of R&D spending in Britain over the next two years. It will take in a fragrance research and innovation laboratory, a compounding facility, and testing suites, The Times reported. In terms of tech innovation, it will use robotics to blend fragrance oils and the firm's 'noses' will work with AI to develop their scents. Richard Slater, chief R&D officer at Unilever, told the newspaper: 'We're one of the world's largest buyers and users of fragrance, which are absolutely critical to the product performance of so many of our brands and categories and the consumer perception.' Even with the investment in the facility, Unilever intends to continue partnering with major fragrance houses such as DSM- Firmenich and Givaudan. The news of the plan to spend the money was actually released last year but without the Anglo-Dutch giant disclosing the location. At the time it said: 'We're investing €100 million to scale up Unilever's fragrance design and creation capabilities across our global portfolio. This supports our strategy to accelerate growth and increase productivity by allowing Unilever to gain greater control of the design and refinement of our fragrances, a key component of product formulation and consumer preference. 'Fragrance forms a vital part of many Unilever products, from indulgent shower creams to invigorating deodorants and the satisfying scents that our brands leave on freshly washed laundry. 'Historically, we've partnered with fragrance houses around the world to create the scents that consumers know and love. Such partnerships remain important to us as we move to grow our capabilities in-house which will see Unilever transition to a hybrid model, where our digitally enabled teams are involved in every step of innovation, formulating fragrances that fit perfectly with our products. 'We'll combine our own scientific expertise in areas such as neuroscience, AI and digital product development with existing strategic partnerships, to help deliver consistent and affordable product superiority across our brands more quickly.'
Fashion Network
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Unilever to build state-of-the-art fragrance facility in UK
FMCG giant Unilever is set to build an £80 million fragrance facility near Liverpool that will transform its longstanding facility in Port Sunlight. It should be complete in 2027, although many of its functions will start earlier than that. It's part of a £300 million package of R&D spending in Britain over the next two years. It will take in a fragrance research and innovation laboratory, a compounding facility, and testing suites, The Times reported. In terms of tech innovation, it will use robotics to blend fragrance oils and the firm's 'noses' will work with AI to develop their scents. Richard Slater, chief R&D officer at Unilever, told the newspaper: 'We're one of the world's largest buyers and users of fragrance, which are absolutely critical to the product performance of so many of our brands and categories and the consumer perception.' Even with the investment in the facility, Unilever intends to continue partnering with major fragrance houses such as DSM- Firmenich and Givaudan. The news of the plan to spend the money was actually released last year but without the Anglo-Dutch giant disclosing the location. At the time it said: 'We're investing €100 million to scale up Unilever's fragrance design and creation capabilities across our global portfolio. This supports our strategy to accelerate growth and increase productivity by allowing Unilever to gain greater control of the design and refinement of our fragrances, a key component of product formulation and consumer preference. 'Fragrance forms a vital part of many Unilever products, from indulgent shower creams to invigorating deodorants and the satisfying scents that our brands leave on freshly washed laundry. 'Historically, we've partnered with fragrance houses around the world to create the scents that consumers know and love. Such partnerships remain important to us as we move to grow our capabilities in-house which will see Unilever transition to a hybrid model, where our digitally enabled teams are involved in every step of innovation, formulating fragrances that fit perfectly with our products. 'We'll combine our own scientific expertise in areas such as neuroscience, AI and digital product development with existing strategic partnerships, to help deliver consistent and affordable product superiority across our brands more quickly.'
Fashion Network
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Unilever to build state-of-the-art fragrance facility in UK
FMCG giant Unilever is set to build an £80 million fragrance facility near Liverpool that will transform its longstanding facility in Port Sunlight. It should be complete in 2027, although many of its functions will start earlier than that. It's part of a £300 million package of R&D spending in Britain over the next two years. It will take in a fragrance research and innovation laboratory, a compounding facility, and testing suites, The Times reported. In terms of tech innovation, it will use robotics to blend fragrance oils and the firm's 'noses' will work with AI to develop their scents. Richard Slater, chief R&D officer at Unilever, told the newspaper: 'We're one of the world's largest buyers and users of fragrance, which are absolutely critical to the product performance of so many of our brands and categories and the consumer perception.' Even with the investment in the facility, Unilever intends to continue partnering with major fragrance houses such as DSM- Firmenich and Givaudan. The news of the plan to spend the money was actually released last year but without the Anglo-Dutch giant disclosing the location. At the time it said: 'We're investing €100 million to scale up Unilever's fragrance design and creation capabilities across our global portfolio. This supports our strategy to accelerate growth and increase productivity by allowing Unilever to gain greater control of the design and refinement of our fragrances, a key component of product formulation and consumer preference. 'Fragrance forms a vital part of many Unilever products, from indulgent shower creams to invigorating deodorants and the satisfying scents that our brands leave on freshly washed laundry. 'Historically, we've partnered with fragrance houses around the world to create the scents that consumers know and love. Such partnerships remain important to us as we move to grow our capabilities in-house which will see Unilever transition to a hybrid model, where our digitally enabled teams are involved in every step of innovation, formulating fragrances that fit perfectly with our products. 'We'll combine our own scientific expertise in areas such as neuroscience, AI and digital product development with existing strategic partnerships, to help deliver consistent and affordable product superiority across our brands more quickly.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shell launches $3.5bn share buyback as profits hit $5.58bn
Shell (SHEL.L) has announced a new $3.5bn (£2.55bn) share buyback programme, its 14th consecutive quarter of repurchases of at least $3bn, after posting better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter of 2025. The Anglo-Dutch energy major reported adjusted earnings of $5.58bn for the three months to March, down 28% from $7.73bn a year earlier but ahead of the $5.09bn forecast by analysts polled by LSEG. A separate consensus from Vara Research had expected profits to come in lower still, at $4.96bn. The figure also represents an improvement on the $3.66bn recorded in the final quarter of 2024. Chief executive Wael Sawan said: 'Our strong performance and resilient balance sheet give us the confidence to commence another $3.5bn of buybacks for the next three months.' Shell said total shareholder distributions over the past four quarters amounted to 45% of cash flow from operations, in line with its stated policy to return 40% to 50% to investors. Sawan said: 'Shell delivered another solid set of results in the first quarter of 2025. 'We further strengthened our leading LNG (liquified natural gas) business by completing the acquisition of Pavilion Energy, and high-graded our portfolio with the completion of the Nigeria onshore and the Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park divestments." The latest earnings come against a backdrop of cooling profits across the oil and gas sector, which had surged to record levels in 2022. The industry has since been hit by weaker crude prices, a subdued demand outlook, and geopolitical volatility — including shifting US trade policy under president Donald Trump — all of which have dented investor sentiment. Global benchmark Brent crude (BZ=F) prices averaged around $75 a barrel during the January-March quarter, compared with around $87 a year earlier. The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) company said it was impacted by a $509m charge related to the UK energy profits levy. Read more: NatWest beats profit estimates for the first quarter Cash flow from operating activities came in at $9.3bn, which was below the consensus figure of $9.6bn. The quarterly dividend per share was unchanged at $0.3580. By division, Renewables and Energy Solutions posted a loss of $203m, wider than expected. Integrated Gas delivered adjusted earnings of $2.87bn. Earlier in the week, BP reported a significant drop in first-quarter profit amid lower oil prices. The company (BP.L) reported an underlying replacement cost profit — a key metric used as a proxy for net profit — of $1.38bn (£1bn), falling short of the $1.53bn forecast by analysts polled by LSEG. The figure also marks a 49% decline from the $2.7bn posted in the same period last year. Read more: BP profits halve as oil major retreats from low-carbon investments How Trump and Melania meme coins are performing after 100 days The most bought US stocks in Trump's first 100 daysSign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shell launches $3.5bn share buyback as profits hit $5.58bn
Shell (SHEL.L) has announced a new $3.5bn (£2.55bn) share buyback programme, its 14th consecutive quarter of repurchases of at least $3bn, after posting better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter of 2025. The Anglo-Dutch energy major reported adjusted earnings of $5.58bn for the three months to March, down 28% from $7.73bn a year earlier but ahead of the $5.09bn forecast by analysts polled by LSEG. A separate consensus from Vara Research had expected profits to come in lower still, at $4.96bn. The figure also represents an improvement on the $3.66bn recorded in the final quarter of 2024. Chief executive Wael Sawan said: 'Our strong performance and resilient balance sheet give us the confidence to commence another $3.5bn of buybacks for the next three months.' Shell said total shareholder distributions over the past four quarters amounted to 45% of cash flow from operations, in line with its stated policy to return 40% to 50% to investors. The latest earnings come against a backdrop of cooling profits across the oil and gas sector, which had surged to record levels in 2022. The industry has since been hit by weaker crude prices, a subdued demand outlook, and geopolitical volatility — including shifting US trade policy under president Donald Trump — all of which have dented investor while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
