London, June 18, 2026, 11:08 BST
- Unilever traded at 4,342 pence, down 0.47%, at 11:01 BST.
- The group plans more than 40 AI-enabled factory “digital twins” over the next 18 months. Accenture Newsroom
- First-quarter underlying sales rose 3.8%; Unilever expects full-year growth at the bottom of its 4%-6% range.
Unilever shares edged lower on Thursday but held up better than the wider London market, as investors balanced a new factory-automation push against caution before the Bank of England’s interest-rate decision. The stock was quoted around 4,338-4,342 pence, roughly 0.5% lower, while the FTSE 100 fell about 0.9%.
The relative resilience follows Unilever’s decision to expand AI-supported manufacturing across its global network. More than 40 new digital twins will be built over 18 months, creating a template that can be repeated at other factories.
A digital twin is a virtual model of equipment or a production line that uses live factory data to identify faults and test changes. Unilever said one system in North Carolina cut waste by 20% and lifted capacity by 10%, while a Polish deployment reduced minor production stoppages by as much as 20% and waste by nearly 30%.
Adam Raeburn-James, Unilever’s global vice-president for digital business operations, said the programme was “turning innovation into measurable impact”. Accenture executive Nicole van Det highlighted the value of “pairing advanced tools with smart process design”. Unilever shares gained 0.9% on Tuesday, when the partnership was announced. Morningstar
That momentum faded on Wednesday, when the shares closed 0.77% lower at 4,362.5 pence, and they remained softer on Thursday. Reckitt, a direct household and personal-care competitor, fell about 0.6% in morning trade, suggesting some of the weakness reflected the wider defensive sector rather than Unilever alone.
The operational push comes after Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth — its measure of organic revenue change — of 3.8%. Volumes rose 2.9% and prices increased 0.9%. Management expects 2026 sales growth at the bottom of its 4%-6% range, with at least 2% volume growth and modest margin improvement.
Investors are also watching the planned combination of Unilever Foods with McCormick, a transaction valuing the food operation at about $44.8 billion including debt. Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman has said emerging markets provide more growth, “but it’s still not enough to make up for Europe and the U.S.” Reuters
But the digital-twin announcement set no group-wide earnings target, and the benefits disclosed so far are tied to individual sites. The larger execution risk remains the McCormick deal: it requires regulatory and shareholder approvals, carries estimated stranded costs of €400 million to €500 million and €500 million of restructuring charges, and is not expected to close until mid-2027.
The next scheduled test is Unilever’s second-quarter and half-year report on July 28. Investors will look for evidence that factory efficiencies and premium products can support the promised margin improvement without weakening volume growth.
