Alberto-Culver

{{Short description|American hair and beauty products company (1955–2010)}} {{Infobox company | name = Alberto-Culver Company | logo = Alberto-Culver Logo.svg | logo_size = 260px | type = [[Public company|Public]] | traded_as = {{NYSE was|ACV}} | fate = Acquired by [[Unilever]] | foundation = {{start date and age|1955}} | defunct = {{end date and age|2010}} | founder = [[Leonard H. Lavin]] | location = 2525 Armitage Avenue, [[Melrose Park, Illinois|Melrose Park]], [[Illinois]], U.S. | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = Carol Lavin Bernick ([[Chairman|Executive Chairman]]) Vincent J. Marino ([[President (corporate title)|President]] and [[Chief Executive Officer|CEO]]) | num_employees = 2,600 (September 30, 2010)<ref name = 2010annualreport/> | revenue = {{profit}} [[United States Dollar|US$]]1.60 billion (FY 2010)<ref name = 2010annualreport>[http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2730/0001193125-10-267609.pdf Alberto-Culver Company Annual Report FY 2010] SECDatabase.com, Form Type: 10-K, Filing Date: November 23, 2010.</ref> | operating_income = {{profit}} [[United States Dollar|US$]]218 million (FY 2010)<ref name= 2010annualreport/> | net_income = {{profit}} [[United States Dollar|US$]]155 million (''FY 2010'')<ref name= 2010annualreport/> | assets = {{increase}} [[United States dollar|US$]]1.88 billion (FY 2010)<ref name = 2010annualreport/> | equity = {{increase}} [[United States dollar|US$]]1.32 billion (FY 2010)<ref name = 2010annualreport/> | homepage = [http://www.alberto.com www.alberto.com] }}

'''Alberto-Culver''' was an American [[corporation]] with international sales whose principal business was manufacturing hair and skin beauty care products under such brands as Alberto VO5, [[Andrew Collinge|Andrew Collnge]], [[St. Ives (brand)|St. Ives]] (skin care products), [[TRESemmé]], [[FDS (brand)|FDS]], [[Consort (brand)|Consort]], [[Nexxus]], Toni, and [[White Rain]]. It was a manufacturer in the multicultural beauty care market with such brands as [[Soft & Beautiful]], Just For Me, Motions, and [[TCB (brand)|TCB]].<ref name="ourstory">{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/index.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716065516/http://alberto.com/ourstory/index.aspx |archive-date=16 July 2008 |publisher=Alberto-Culver |access-date=20 June 2025}}</ref> It was purchased by [[Unilever]] in 2010.

==History== The company originated as a Los Angeles beauty supply house with some proprietary products founded by Blaine Culver.<ref name="businesshistory/fashion-beauty">{{cite web |title=Fashion & Beauty |url=https://www.businesshistory.com/ind._fashion_%26_beauty.php |website=Business History |access-date=29 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214144131/https://www.businesshistory.com/ind._fashion_%26_beauty.php |archive-date=2010-02-14 |url-status=live }}</ref> The house chemist was named Alberto hence the name Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver was purchased<ref name="cTribune/alberto-30">{{cite news |title=ALBERTO`S A THING OF BEAUTY AT 30 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/02/24/albertos-a-thing-of-beauty-at-30/ |access-date=29 November 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=24 February 1986}}</ref> and reorganized in 1955 by [[Leonard H. Lavin]] for $400,000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-albertoculver-lavin-idUSTRE68Q5U620100927|title=Founder grew Alberto Culver with "iron fist"|last=Stephenson|first=Emily|date=2010-09-27|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-20|language=en}}</ref> Lavin was an entrepreneur and manufacturer's representative for various other companies. The newly created company was then moved to [[Chicago]] and a hundred other products were dropped and the company focused on Alberto VO5 shampoo and hairdressing.<ref name="ourstory"/><ref>[http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/brands.aspx "Our Story: Brands"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612113547/http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/brands.aspx |date=2008-06-12 }} - Alberto-Culver release</ref><ref name="MSUcampusArchaeology/8718">{{cite web |title=Lab Artifact of the Week Series: Learning and Sharing as we Work |url=https://campusarch.msu.edu/?page_id=8718 |website=MSU Campus Archaeology Program |publisher=[[Michigan State University]] |access-date=29 November 2025 |date=28 January 2021}}</ref> In 1958, Alberto VO5 Hairdressing became the number one brand in its category. Lavin and his wife Bernice guided the company's growth until 1994 when they turned it over to a second family generation. Until his death in 2017, Lavin remained a director of Alberto-Culver; his daughter Carol Lavin Bernick is the company's executive chairman.<ref>[http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/people.aspx "Our Story: People"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907085645/http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/people.aspx |date=2008-09-07 }} - Alberto-Culver release</ref> In 2005, the Alberto-Culver company bought out Nexxus, a salon hair care company established in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nexxus.com/nexxus_company_information/our_story.html |title=Nexxus company history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015060739/http://www.nexxus.com/nexxus_company_information/our_story.html |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |work=Nexxus }}</ref> In 2006, the company sought to sell its salon distribution business, which includes [[Sally Beauty Supply]] stores and Beauty Systems Group, to [[Regis Corporation]]. It later terminated the agreement and on November 10, 2006, shareholders voted to spin off Sally Beauty.

The company's 2007 sales were reported at US$1.54 billion.<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1368457/000119312507255001/d10k.htm Alberto-Culver's 10K 2007 Annual Report Filing for the SEC] - [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]], September 2007</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hoovers.com/alberto-culver/--ID__10048--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml|title=Hoover's fact sheet on Alberto-Culver|website=hoovers.com}}</ref>

In October 2008, Alberto Culver announced it had closed the transaction to acquire the worldwide rights and trademarks to the [[Noxzema]] skin care brand from [[Procter & Gamble]], which included the existing business in the United States, Canada and parts of Latin America. Procter & Gamble will continue to operate its existing Noxzema shave care, antiperspirant/deodorant, body wash and body soap business in portions of Western Europe.<ref>[http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2867/0001193125-08-243421.pdf "Alberto Culver Announces the Completion of Noxzema Acquisition"], SECDatabase.com, Form 10-K, Filing Date: November 25, 2008. Accession Number: 0001193125-08-243421</ref>

The UK head office is<ref name="caunton/153">{{cite web |title=Unilever Headquarters, Leatherhead |url=https://www.caunton.co.uk/project.aspx?id=153 |website=Caunton Engineering Ltd - www.caunton.co.uk |access-date=29 November 2025 |quote=multi-storey contract for Caunton who supplied over 1,200 tonnes of steelwork for the new Headquarters due for speedy completion of the erection by July 2007}}</ref><ref name="londonmetric/leatherhead-2013">{{cite web |title=Londonmetric Sells Unilever House in Leatherhead for £75.8 Million |url=https://www.londonmetric.com/news-and-media/press-release/archive/londonmetric-sells-unilever-house-leatherhead-ps758-million |website=LondonMetric Property Plc |access-date=29 November 2025 |language=en |date=Dec 17, 2013}}</ref> in [[Leatherhead]], at Unilever House and earlier, in [[Chineham]], Basingstoke, and the company has a manufacturing plant in Swansea, Wales, where all UK products are produced and also those for some European countries.

===Acquisition=== Alberto-Culver was purchased by consumer goods company [[Unilever]] on September 27, 2010 for US$3.7 billion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-09-27/unilever-agrees-to-buy-chicago-based-alberto-culver-for-3-7-billion-cash|title=Unilever to Buy Alberto Culver for $3.7 Billion |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=27 September 2010}}</ref> The terms of the acquisition required Unilever to divest selected hair care brands and its entire food business in the USA to other companies to satisfy antitrust concerns (in the late 1990s, Unilever had purchased Alberto-Culver's historic Chicago rival, [[Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.|Helene Curtis]]). The U.S. food business was bought by [[B&G Foods]], and the U.S. rights to VO5, Rave, and [[Coast (soap)|Coast]] were sold to High Ridge Brands. (Unilever owns these brands in the rest of the world.)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/unilever-sells-several-alberto-culver-brands/ |title=Unilever Sells Some Alberto Culver Brands|date=2011-08-24|website=DealBook|language=en|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref> With the reduction in American brands, Unilever closed the former Alberto Culver plant in 2013, laying off 600 workers.

==Community== Alberto Culver was known for its support of health care, medical research, education and women in the workplace. It did not test its products on animals and stated this on its product packaging.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.alberto.com Alberto-Culver] Official site *[https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=&CIK=acv&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany Alberto-Culver's filings] with the Securities and Exchange Commission *[http://infogrok.com/index.php/companies/consumer/alberto-culver-company.html Alberto-Culver company description and financials]{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} *[https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2831520820080428 "Alberto-Culver quarterly profit rises"], Monday April 28, 2008, Reuters *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504054510/https://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2528.html Alberto-Culver] - The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, [[Chicago Historical Society]].

[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1955]] [[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2010]] [[Category:Companies based in Cook County, Illinois]] [[Category:Defunct companies based in Illinois]] [[Category:Cosmetics companies of the United States]] [[Category:Melrose Park, Illinois]] [[Category:Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange]] [[Category:Unilever companies]] [[Category:1955 establishments in California]] [[Category:2010 disestablishments in Illinois]] [[Category:2010 mergers and acquisitions]]