Unilever South Central Europe (USCE), the local subsidiary of international Unilever foodstuffs producer, is leader on the local mayonnaise market, with two brands in top four.

Its Hellmann’s brand is market leader, with a 14.5 percent share in February-March, while the Knorr brand ranks fourth, with a 9.9 percent market share, according to company representatives, quoting data provided by Nielsen market research company.

The local mayonnaise market amounted to €3.4 million in 2007, 41 percent higher year-on-year in terms of value. Market growth in terms of volume was 40.6 percent, according to Nielsen data.

Main players on this market are Unilever, Sima Bucharest, Heinrich Hamker Germ, European Drinks-Food and U.E. Pauwels NV. Unilever representatives expect the market will grow steadily, as increasingly more consumers will buy ready-made mayonnaise instead of making this at home.