In July 2026, Unilever announced its plans to open a $270 million Global Innovation Centre in the USA by spring 2029. The primary objective of this initiative is to consolidate packaging innovation under the same roof as other R&D processes. It will help the gigantic company to streamline its collaboration and accelerate product development.
Packaging plays a significant role in the company’s growth over the next few years. Hence, the company has decided to place its ‘leading hub’ for research and development processes across its personal care, beauty, and wellbeing business. The company will place this innovation centre in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
The company has planned to perform all the R&D capabilities under a single roof, inclusive of formulation and fragrance creation, along with packaging design and consumer insights. It is expected that such co-located operations will unlock end-to-end integration, helpful for the business units to collaborate more easily and increase the chances of new product turnaround.
The packaging innovation studio will incorporate real-time consumer feedback into the physical and digital development of prototypes. It will aid the designers in achieving their desired functionalities faster. The facility is also powered by AI and emerging quantum capabilities. It is also considered to be the first facility to offer deeper insights and help the company differentiate its product categories with the help of aesthetic redesigns, scientific and sensorial reformulation, and more.
The centre’s location will also provide access to ‘leading’ biosciences and the emerging quantum ecosystem, to facilitate partnerships with experts, academics, technology partners, and consumers. The company’s strategies hope to sustain in the US market and also increase desirability and growth of the Unilever brands internationally, along with the claim to serve 3.7 billion people worldwide every day.
Unilever plans to invest $260 million in the project over the long term – this includes $50 million in capital expenditure – with total combined investment of public and private funds expected to exceed $300 million. The decision is another step in Unilever’s $15 billion investment in the U.S. market over the last ten years, expected to drive both national and international growth for the company. 300 employees will be working in the newly launched innovation centre and are expected to succeed Unilever’s current R&D facility in Trumbull, Connecticut.
“New Haven gets us to the future faster,” explains Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA and CEO of Personal Care North America. “Our Global Innovation Centre is where we’ll innovate at the intersection of science, technology, and culture — for the U.S. and for the world. We will build on our deep heritage of innovation to develop the next generation of brands and products that people love.
“As part of Unilever’s global network of innovation hubs, the centre will connect closely with our other leading locations worldwide, sharing technology, insights, and breakthrough ideas to accelerate innovation at scale. As the U.S. becomes a centre of gravity for Unilever, we’re harnessing the best of American innovation to match our growth ambition here in the U.S. and around the world.”
“Behind every Unilever product is world-leading science that delivers superior performance, combined with design, fragrance, and sensory experiences that make our brands distinctive,” continues Richard Slater, Unilever’s chief Research & Development officer. “Our new Global Innovation Centre will bring these capabilities together to develop new, category-defining innovations in the U.S. and scale globally.
“The real shift here is integration and speed: science, design, and sensorials working as one, with AI and partnerships accelerating every stage of innovation.”
“Unilever’s decision to make this investment in New Haven reaffirms Connecticut’s global reputation as a leader in innovation, research and development, and discovery,” adds Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. “This innovation centre will serve as an important foundational piece for this burgeoning hub that will not only strengthen New Haven’s existing tech centres but will also boost our innovation ecosystem statewide.
“I am glad we have Unilever as a valued member of Connecticut’s growing business community, and I look forward to this company continuing to succeed here for many years to come.”
The announcement is declared officially as The LEGO Group opens its first dedicated global manufacturing centre for the development, testing, and scaling of processes and technologies. It includes a test and innovation centre for new LEGO packaging, moulds, and more, a materials lab for research of sustainable raw materials, and an additive manufacturing centre for experimentation and development using advanced 3D manufacturing capabilities.
The company has also announced that it would combine its food business with McCormick & Company to form a global portfolio with an estimated revenue of $20 billion. The company has also set its sights on becoming a leading pureplay home and personal care company, citing €39 billion in revenues based on the fiscal year 2025.
31 July 2026
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30 July 2026
30 July 2026