Disposal

Unilever PLC
31 May 2001

Release: Immediate

                        UNILEVER PLANS SALE OF MAZOLA

                    AND OTHER FOOD AND FABRIC CARE BRANDS

Unilever today announced that it plans to sell a number of North American
brands and related assets from its Unilever Bestfoods portfolio. Included in
the planned sale are the following food brands: Mazola cooking oil products,
Argo and Kingsford's corn starches, Karo and Golden Griddle syrups and Henri's
salad dressing. Also included in the sale are the Rit dye and Niagara starch
fabric care brands.

Unilever also plans to divest several Canadian brands, including Canada and
Benson's corn starches, St Lawrence corn oil, Crown and Beehive corn syrups,
Old Colony maple and Old Tyme pancake syrup brands.

The proposed sale of brands, which have combined annual sales approaching
US$400 million in North America, is consistent with Unilever's Path to Growth
strategy to focus on a smaller number of brands in clearly defined categories.

Patrick Cescau, Unilever's Foods Director said: 'The planned sale is a logical
step in the process of integrating Unilever and Bestfoods. The brands
identified for sale represent an attractive portfolio but fall outside of our
strategy to focus on leading brands such as Ragu, Hellmann's and Lipton.'

Mazola is the best-selling retail brand of corn oil in the U.S. and has been a
leader in the salad and cooking oils category since 1911. Argo and Kingsford's
together have leading positions in the cornstarch category, while Karo is a
leading brand of corn syrup in the U.S. Golden Griddle pancake syrup and
Henri's salad dressings are both well-established brands. In fabric care, Rit
is the number one retail fabric dye in the U.S. while Niagara is the second
largest brand in the ironing spray category.

Unilever also plans to divest associated manufacturing rights, assets and
facilities in Argo, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana. In total some 240
employees are affected. Unilever acquired both the brands and associated
assets included in the sale when it acquired Bestfoods in October 2000. The
company continues to evaluate the long-term position of Mazola outside of
North America as part of its regional brand portfolio review.

Unilever expects a deal to be completed by year-end 2001. Goldman Sachs has
been retained to advise on the sale.

                                    -o0o-

May 31, 2001



NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Unilever brands to be divested are:



North America

Mazola cooking oils

Argo and Kingsford's corn starches

Rit fabric dye



United States

Golden Griddle pancake syrup

Henri's salad dressing

Niagara spray starch

Karo corn syrup



Canada

Canada and Benson's corn starches

St. Lawrence corn oil

Old Colony maple and Old Tyme pancake syrups

Crown and Beehive corn syrups



Brands have total combined 2000 sales approx. US$ 400 million.



                                    -o0o-



UNILEVER BACKGROUND: Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products
companies with annual sales of approximately $46 billion in 2000. It produces
and markets a wide range of foods and home and personal care products.
Unilever operates in 88 countries around the globe and employs approximately
300,000 people.

In the United States, Unilever sales were approximately $11 billion in 2000.
It employs some 28,000 people and has 80 offices and manufacturing sites in 26
states. Some of their major products are: Unilever Bestfoods - North America:
Lipton teas, soups, recipe products and side dishes; Wish-Bone salad
dressings; Lawry's seasonings and specialty sauces; Country Crock, 'I Can't
Believe It's Not Butter!' spreads; Ragu and Five Brothers pasta sauces; Knorr
soups, sauces and bouillons; Hellmann's mayonnaise and dressings; Skippy
peanut butter; Bertolli Olive Oil; Klondike, Good-Humor, Popsicle, Breyers and
Ben & Jerry's ice cream products; and Slim-Fast nutritional and health snack
products. Unilever Home and Personal Care - North America: Wisk, 'all' and
Surf laundry detergents; Snuggle fabric softener; Sunlight dish detergents;
Lever 2000, Caress, Dove, Degree, Pond's and Vaseline skin care, deodorant and
soap products; Q-tips cotton swabs; Mentadent oral care products; Finesse,
Salon Selectives, Suave and ThermaSilk hair care products; and Calvin Klein,
Nautica and Lagerfeld cosmetic and fragrance products. In addition,
DiverseyLever, a global professional cleaning business, operates in North
America, supplying professional cleaning materials and services to
institutional and industrial markets.

In Canada, Unilever's best known brands include becel margarine, Lipton, Red
Rose Tea, Skippy, Hellmann's, Knorr, Breyer's, Popsicle, Sunlight Laundry
Detergent, Dove, Thermasilk, Salon Selectives and Degree. In addition,
DiverseyLever operates in Canada, supplying professional cleaning materials
and services to institutional and industrial markets.