Lilleborg
Encyclopedia
Lilleborg AS is a major hygiene
and cleaning article company in Norway
, owned by the Orkla Group
. It was established in 1833, and was one of the first companies in Norway to start manufacturing brand name products
. It currently operates three factories in Norway, and employs a total working staff of 595.
, established in 1833 on the banks of the Aker
river in Oslo
, Lilleborg expanded in 1842 to manufacturing hygiene products with the opening of "sæbesyderiet", the "soap boilery". Here the company's manufacture of soft soap
and bathroom soaps took place. In 1897, it became an aksjeselskap
, and changed its name to A/S Lilleborg Fabrikker. In the final years of the 19th century, the company was offering a broad range of oils
, bathroom, household and soft soaps. It was also the largest company of its sort in Norway, with more than 100 employees on roll.
At the end of the 1920s, Lilleborg had developed a close relationship with Denofa
, a cooking oil
producing company based in Fredrikstad
. This culminated in 1930 with an agreement of cooperation between Lilleborg, Denofa, and the British
company Lever Brothers
(later Unilever
), which had large ownership interests in the companies. As part of this agreement, Lilleborg acquired ownership and production of several well-known Lever Brothers brands, Sunlight
being perhaps the foremost. Focusing strongly on brands throughout the 1930s, the company launched several of their strongest-selling brands of today in the years before the war
, including Lano
, Solidox, Blenda
and Lux
.
Unilever decided to sell their stocks in the company in 1958, but agreed upon another cooperation agreement which was to last for 20 years. This agreement was subsequently reformed on two occasions, and is still in effect - and will be until 2014. The following year, Denofa and Lilleborged merged
to form A/S Denofa og Lilleborg Fabriker, which soon became a major player in the Norwegian hygiene market. The company then, in 1973, acquired Goma fabrikker, which in turned owned (amongst others) A/S Ello in Kristiansund
.
In 1996, Lilleborg and Denofa split once more into two separate entities, in which Denofa continued the cooking oil activities, while Lilleborg was evolved into a pure brand-name manufacturer. In relation with this split, Lilleborg was reorganized as a company under Orkla Brands, a division of the Orkla Group
, whilst Denofa was placed under Orkla Chemistry. In 1997, the activity by the Aker river ceased, while a new laundry detergent
factory was opened in Ski
.
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
and cleaning article company in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, owned by the Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
. It was established in 1833, and was one of the first companies in Norway to start manufacturing brand name products
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
. It currently operates three factories in Norway, and employs a total working staff of 595.
History
Originally a family businessFamily business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
, established in 1833 on the banks of the Aker
Akerselva
Akerselva, or Akerselven, is a river which flows through Oslo. It starts at Maridalsvannet in Oslomarka, and follows the urban areas Nordre Aker, Sagene, Grünerløkka, Oslo centre and Grønland, whereby it finally ends at Paulsenkaien and Oset in Bjørvika. The river is considered to be a part of the...
river in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Lilleborg expanded in 1842 to manufacturing hygiene products with the opening of "sæbesyderiet", the "soap boilery". Here the company's manufacture of soft soap
Soft soap
Soft soap can refer to one of the following:* a general purpose soap that is liquid or easily soluble, as opposed to a hard soap which will only dissolve sparingly.* a hygiene product made exclusively from natural oils...
and bathroom soaps took place. In 1897, it became an aksjeselskap
Aksjeselskap
Aksjeselskap is the Norwegian term for a stock-based company. It is usually abbreviated AS or A/S, especially when used in company names. An AS is always a limited company, i.e. the owners cannot be held liable for any debt beyond the stock capital...
, and changed its name to A/S Lilleborg Fabrikker. In the final years of the 19th century, the company was offering a broad range of oils
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
, bathroom, household and soft soaps. It was also the largest company of its sort in Norway, with more than 100 employees on roll.
At the end of the 1920s, Lilleborg had developed a close relationship with Denofa
Denofa
Denofa AS, established in 1912 as De Nordiske Fabriker A/S , is a Norwegian industrial company. It has produced oil, proteins and fatty acid for the food processing industry, the fodder industry and the pharmaceutical industry...
, a cooking oil
Cooking oil
Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature ....
producing company based in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
. This culminated in 1930 with an agreement of cooperation between Lilleborg, Denofa, and the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
(later Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
), which had large ownership interests in the companies. As part of this agreement, Lilleborg acquired ownership and production of several well-known Lever Brothers brands, Sunlight
Sunlight (cleaning product)
Sunlight is a brand of household soap originally produced by the British company Lever Brothers in 1884. It was the world's first packaged, branded laundry soap. Designed for washing clothes and general household use, the success of the product led to the name for the company's village for its...
being perhaps the foremost. Focusing strongly on brands throughout the 1930s, the company launched several of their strongest-selling brands of today in the years before the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including Lano
Lano
Lano is a leading brand of soap in Norway. It comes in varieties of shower gels and liquid hand wash as well as the original soap bar. Lano is produced by Lilleborg Commodities, a hygiene product manufacturer owned in turn by the Orkla Group.-History:...
, Solidox, Blenda
Blenda
Blenda is the heroine of a Swedish legend from Småland. Blenda led the rural women of Värend in an attack on a pillaging Danish army and annihilated the invaders.-Legend:...
and Lux
Lux (soap)
Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight Flakes” laundry soap in 1899....
.
Unilever decided to sell their stocks in the company in 1958, but agreed upon another cooperation agreement which was to last for 20 years. This agreement was subsequently reformed on two occasions, and is still in effect - and will be until 2014. The following year, Denofa and Lilleborged merged
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
to form A/S Denofa og Lilleborg Fabriker, which soon became a major player in the Norwegian hygiene market. The company then, in 1973, acquired Goma fabrikker, which in turned owned (amongst others) A/S Ello in Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
.
In 1996, Lilleborg and Denofa split once more into two separate entities, in which Denofa continued the cooking oil activities, while Lilleborg was evolved into a pure brand-name manufacturer. In relation with this split, Lilleborg was reorganized as a company under Orkla Brands, a division of the Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
, whilst Denofa was placed under Orkla Chemistry. In 1997, the activity by the Aker river ceased, while a new laundry detergent
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by "hard water." In most...
factory was opened in Ski
Ski, Norway
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Ski. Ski was separated from the municipality of Kråkstad on 1 July 1931 to form a separate municipality...
.
Personal hygiene
- Lano
- LuxLux (soap)Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight Flakes” laundry soap in 1899....
(hand soap) - Dr Greve (shower gels and intimate hygiene)
- Dove
- AxeAxe (deodorant)Lynx is a brand of male grooming products, owned by the British/Dutch company Unilever and marketed towards young males.-History:Axe was launched in France in 1983 by Unilever...
- Sterilan (deodorant)
- Define (hair care)
- Finesse (hair care)
- SunsilkSunsilkSunsilk is a hair care brand, primarily aimed at women, produced by the Unilever group, which is now considered the world's leading company in hair conditioning and the second largest in shampoo. Sunsilk is Unilever’s leading hair care brand, and ranks as one of the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate's...
(hair care) - Vaseline Intensive Care (skin care)
- LdB / Lait de Beauté (skin care)
- Solidox (toothpaste)
Laundry
- BlendaBlendaBlenda is the heroine of a Swedish legend from Småland. Blenda led the rural women of Värend in an attack on a pillaging Danish army and annihilated the invaders.-Legend:...
- OmoSurf (detergent)Surf is the name of a brand of laundry detergent made by Unilever and sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and many other countries. In the United States the Surf product line is owned by Sun Products...
- Milo (detergent and fabric softener)
- ComfortComfort (fabric softener)Comfort is the brand name of a Unilever fabric softener sold in the UK and around the world. The range includes Comfort Pure and Comfort Crème . Scents include Passion Flower and Ylang Ylang, Lily and Riceflower, Wild Pear and Ginkgo and the Original Comfort Blue.- History :Comfort was the first...
(fabric softener)
Household
- Zalo (manual dishwashing)
- Sun (dishwashing)
- Svint (soap-added steel wool)
- JifCifCif is a brand of household cleaning products by Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif is the largest selling abrasive cleaner product in the world.-History:...
- SalmiSalmiSalmi is a rural settlement and town near Pitkäranta in Republic of Karelia ....
(ammonia-based cleaning fluid) - Klorin (chlorine bleach/disinfectant)
- Krystal (soft soap)