<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>form6k_010604pressrelease.txt
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Exhibit 99

                                 [UNILEVER LOGO]

                             N E W S  R E L E A S E


                          Unilever United States, Inc.



U.S. Media Relations Contact:                  U.S. Investor Relations Contact:
Nancy Goldfarb                                 Leigh Ferst
212-906-4690                                   212-906-3430



             Unilever Completes the Sale of Four Home Care Brands to
                        Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking

New York, NY - January 5, 2004 - Unilever (NYSE: UN, UL) today announced that it
completed the sale of four of its home care brands primarily in the United
States and Canada to Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Group, an affiliate of
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. The two companies announced on December 8, 2003,
that they had reached a definitive agreement.

The sale includes the following four brands: the Rit brand of fabric dye
products worldwide; the Niagara brand of ironing aid products in the U.S.,
Canada, Puerto Rico and elsewhere around the world with exclusive licensing
rights in certain Central American countries and Mexico; the Final Touch brand
of fabric softeners in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico; and exclusive licensing
rights to the Sunlight brand of dishwashing detergents in the U.S., Canada and
Puerto Rico. Sales of these four brands for the first nine months of 2003 were
$107 million.

As part of the company's Path to Growth strategy, Unilever has been reshaping
its portfolio, including the sale of 110 businesses and a greater focus on
leading brands, now representing 92% of sales worldwide.

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Unilever Background: Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products
companies with annual sales of approximately $47 billion in 2002. It produces
and markets a wide range of foods and home and personal care products. Unilever
operates in about 100 countries around the globe and employs approximately
250,000 people.


Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the
meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995). Any
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations with respect to
important risk factors. It is important to note that the actual results could
materially differ from the results anticipated in any forward-looking statements
that may be contained in this announcement. Factors which might cause
forward-looking statements to differ materially from actual results include,
among other things, costs related to the disposal, as well as the overall
economic, political, social and business conditions, the demand for our goods
and services, competition in the market, fluctuations in interest rates and
foreign currencies, the impact and other uncertainties of future acquisitions
and disposals and any changes in the tax laws and other legislation and
regulation, in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements
contained in or incorporated in this announcement to reflect actual results,
changes in assumptions or in other factors, which may affect any forward-looking
statements.

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