Peruvian conglomerate Alicorp moved to expand its regional dominance on January 28, 2026, acquiring Unilever's home-care business in Colombia and Ecuador, a deal that shifts ownership of major brands and their associated workforces. The transaction covers 100% of the relevant assets of Unilever Andina Colombia and Unilever Andina Ecuador, which will now pass to Alicorp Colombia and Alicorp Ecuador.
Capital's Expansion
The portfolio includes the Fab, 3D, Aromatel, and Deja brands, staples in working-class households for over 60 years. Company statements confirmed the transaction also transfers the associated teams and operations, meaning workers now fall under new corporate management. Alicorp, Peru's largest consumer-goods company and part of the powerful Grupo Romero, already operates across seven Latin American countries, controlling over 150 owned brands spanning various sectors. In Ecuador, it already sells AlaCena, Don Vittorio, and Sapolio, and has separately moved to acquire the Rama margarine brand in Colombia. This latest acquisition reinforces Alicorp's role as one of Peru's most acquisitive consumer names, further concentrating market power in the hands of regional capital.
Undisclosed Value, Corporate Gain
Neither company disclosed the price of the acquisition, a common practice when corporate maneuvers benefit shareholders without public scrutiny. Alicorp, however, filed the deal as a "material event" with Peru's securities regulator, the SMV, indicating its significant financial impact for the acquiring corporation. Unilever also remained silent on the financial terms. Reginaldo Ecclissato of Unilever framed the decision as "deliberate and consistent with the company's ambition to grow in strategic categories," a corporate euphemism for streamlining portfolios to maximize profit and shareholder value. Unilever retains other key brands in the region, including Dove, Rexona, Knorr, and Hellmann's, focusing its efforts on what it deems more profitable segments.
The State's Role in Consolidation
The deal still requires formal approval from Colombia's Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio and Ecuador's Superintendencia de Competencia Económica. These state bodies are expected to rubber-stamp the transfer of corporate power, ensuring "customary conditions precedent" are met rather than scrutinizing the impact on workers or market concentration. Approvals were being sought through the first quarter of 2026, and until regulators sign off, Unilever continues to run the business day to day. This transaction forms part of a broader pattern where global consumer majors trim exposure to specific Andean categories, allowing "regional champions" like Alicorp to expand their market control, shifting ownership of familiar cleaning brands from European to Lima-based capital.