When discussing Unilever (LSE: ULVR) shares, one of the first things that often comes up is the group’s world-class portfolio of brands. Believe it or not, its brands are present in 98% of households across the UK.
Yet I’m not sure people realise just how powerful the group’s portfolio actually is – it really is quite extraordinary when you take a closer look. Here’s a look at how many Unilever products I use on a day-to-day basis.
Morning routine
Let’s start with my typical morning. One of the first things I do when I wake up every morning is make myself a cup of tea. My tea brand of choice? The legendary PG Tips – a Unilever brand. After my tea, I take a quick shower and use Unilever owned-Dove Men shower gel to freshen up, and then follow this up by spraying on some Dove Men deodorant. At this stage of the day, I haven’t even started work yet and I’ve already used three Unilever products.
Late morning and lunch
Later in the morning, I usually make myself some toast. While I do tend to rotate what I put on my toast, Marmite – another Unilever brand – can be in the mix. And at lunch, I’ll generally make myself a sandwich. Here, there’s a good chance that a little bit Colman’s mustard or Hellmann’s mayonnaise will be involved – two more legendary Unilever brands.
Evening
While I am trying to watch my diet a bit these days, I do love some ice cream in the evenings after dinner, especially in the summer. Now, if I had to pick one ice cream brand, I’d probably say that Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry’s is my favourite. But to be honest with you I also love a Cornetto, a Magnum, Viennetta, Carte d’Or and plenty of Wall’s ice creams. And you know what? Unilever owns all of these brands. In other words, if I’m eating ice cream, there’s a good chance Unilever is profiting.
There’s more…
It doesn’t stop there though. I also wash all of my clothes with Unilever-owned Persil detergent. Moreover, my wife insists that I give the bathroom a quick wipe down every now and then so I regularly give the sink a quick spray with Cif, and squirt some Domestos in the toilet – both Unilever brands.
Additionally, my wife also uses a number of Unilever personal care products herself, including TRESemmé hair products, Simple face wash products, and Radox shower and bath products.
Overall, I think you’d find at least 10-15 Unilever products in our house at any one time, if not more, with many of these products being used every single day.
Brilliant long-term stock
And that, ultimately, is one of the key reasons I plan to hold Unilever shares for the long term. Whether the economy is expanding or contracting, Unilever’s trusted products will be used in our household – and nearly every other household in the UK – every single day. That’s what makes Unilever such a brilliant ‘sleep-well-at-night’ stock.
The shares may appear a little expensive by traditional valuation measures, but in my view, that kind of brand power is worth a premium.