Univar history in EMEA

A young company with established roots

Univar appears to be a very young company, having only existed in its current format since July 2002. However, the real history of Univar dates back much further.

Many of the companies that now make up Univar can trace their origins back to the early part of the 20th Century, in some instances even back as far as the 19th Century.

In Europe, during the 20th Century, chemical distribution thrived on a national level, with each European country having a very different list of names on the leader board. In the 1980s and 1990s, consolidation of these national leaders gathered pace as companies looked for a pan-European presence.

Univar played a particurlarly important role in this consolidation process, and following acquisitions in most European countries, now hold the N°1 position in specialty chemical distribution.

Up until September 2002 these companies continued to trade under their long-established names, but since then all have been re-branded into the Univar family that exists today.