Unilever Commences Construction of Distribution Center in Illinois

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Inc.; Houston, Texas). Unilever NV Corporation (NYSE: UN) (London, England) commenced construction of a $50 million 1.3 million square foot distribution and warehouse center in Pontoon Beach, Illinois. The distribution center will be one the largest distribution & repackaging centers in the Midwest. Unilever expects to employ 350 when the project is completed by March 2003. Korte Construction (Highland, Illinois) is performing construction services for the distribution center.

Unilever NV and Unilever PLC, located in London and Rotterdam, are the parent companies of what is today one of the largest consumer goods businesses that operates in 40 countries. Unilever has a diverse product line including food, home, and personal care products. Unilever was formed when the Dutch margarine company Margarine Unie merged with British soapmaker Lever Brothers. Both companies were involved in large-scale marketing of household products and used similar distribution channels.