<article><a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/unilever-plc/" target="_blank">Unilever Plc</a>.’s acquisition of Swedish air purifier maker Blueair for an undisclosed sum could heat up the air purifier market in India.</article>

<a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/unilever-plc/" target="_blank">Unilever Plc</a>.’s acquisition of Swedish air purifier maker Blueair for an undisclosed sum could heat up the air purifier market in India.
Blueair, founded in 1996 by Bengt Rittri, sells its premium air purifiers in around 60 countries. It ended 2015 with $106 million in sales and has a presence in China, and India, countries with possibly the worst air quality in the world.
The acquisition will help Unilever’s Indian unit <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/hindustan-unilever-ltd/" target="_blank">Hindustan Unilever Ltd</a> enter a niche segment that is growing rapidly.
Nitin Paranjpe, president of Unilever’s home care business, said in a statement that Blueair stands for “exceptional quality and design, as well as superior capacity and performance.”
In another statement, Blueair’s Rittri said Unilever would “help Blueair take the next step to becoming a truly global provider of its health-enhancing air purifiers.”
“India is a key ingredient in Blueair’s global operations, although it is still very much a nascent market,” said a Blueair spokesperson. Blueair launched its products in India in 2015.
Blueair, which will continue to be sold under the same brand, will become part of Unilever’s home care business. It will be sold alongside the company’s water purifier brand Pureit, which was conceptualized by Hindustan Unilever in 2004 and rolled out nationally in 2008.
“This significant venture in air purification will further complement Unilever’s existing water purification business,” Unilever said in a statement. The company is expanding its water purifying business in India and elsewhere.
In 2014, Unilever acquired a majority stake in China’s Qinyuan Group, a water purification business which then more than doubled the size of its business in that segment, the Financial Times reported in March 2014.
Companies in the water purifiers space like Eureka Forbes Ltd and Kent RO Systems Ltd also have air purifiers as part of their portfolio in India.
The market for air purifiers is nascent but there are synergies and “we can offer solutions for clean air and clean water using the same platform,” said Mahesh Gupta, chairman, Kent RO Systems, which entered the air purifier business last year.
In India, the growth of air purifiers took off in 2015 when Blueair announced that the US embassy had purchased 1,800 air purifiers from it ahead of the visit of US President Barack Obama in January.
New Delhi is described by the <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/world-health-organization/" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> as one of the world’s most polluted cities.
Air purifiers have been available in India for over 20 years, but it is only in recent years that they have become popular with a certain segment of customers—high-income households in urban areas and institutions such as schools and hospitals. The market could grow to around Rs.1,400 crore (USD$210m) by 2021, according to a June report by TechSci Research.
In April, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/ttk-prestige/" target="_blank">TTK Prestige Ltd</a>, known for its Prestige range of kitchen appliances, launched air purifiers. There are over two dozen companies in India selling air purifiers.
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<h4>This story was first published on <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.livemint.com/Companies/o5nqy33Ce8KQ5zwW9pOjQM/Unilever-to-buy-Blueair-Swedish-maker-of-airpurifying-syst.html" target="_blank">Livemint</a></h4>

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Hindustan Unilever buys Swedish Blueair to gain foothold in niche market

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