Hindustan Lever (HLL), the Indian subsidiary of Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever, appears to be experiencing distribution problems following its joint selling agreement with International Bestfoods (IBL). Retailers are complaining that ordered IBL lines have not been delivered for two months, reports local daily the Economic Times.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The brands involved include the Captain Cook brand, Knorr soups, Brown & Polson, Rex Jelly and the Tarla Dalal range of mixes in India.


The reported teething problems follow the merger of the sales forces at HLL and IBL, which sees the 220-strong IBL sales team become employees of HLL. The marketing and business arms of the companies have not been integrated, although discussions are continuing.


Meanwhile, the media has been speculating that a number of competing brands will be phased out to prevent sales cannibalisation by similar brands now in the joint stable, but the company has made no official comment.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact