Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited

Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited (Bengali: শিবলী রুবাইয়াত-উল-ইসলাম) is the oldest cosmetics and soap manufacturer in Bangladesh.[1] It is owned by Orion Group, a large diversified conglomerate whose chairman is Mohammad Obaidul Karim.[2] Md. Rezaul Karim is the managing director of the Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited.[3]

Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited
Formation1956
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Websitekohinoor-bd.com

Its brands have been described as popular among "middle-class and rural people" of Bangladesh.[4] It is listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange.[5][6] It has the second larges share of the soap market in Bangladesh after Unilever Bangladesh Limited, subsidiary of Unilever, with 50 percent.[7]

History

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Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited was established in 1956 at Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dacca.[8][9]

In 1971, the company was nationalized after the Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan and placed under Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.[8] It became a public limited company in 1998.[8] The operations in Pakistan continue as Kohinoor Chemical Company (Pvt) Ltd, a separate company.[10]

Orion Group bought the state owned Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited, a deal made possible by the close friendship of the group chairman with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in 1993.[11] At the time, Kohinoor was listed on the stock exchange and making a profit.[11] He was also close to Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians Tarique Rahman, son of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Harris Chowdhury, political secretary of Khaleda Zia.[11] Orion inflated the share prices before the 1996 stock exchange crash which prompted an investigation by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission.[11] The company did not pay a dividend till 2005.[11]

The company had a 19 percent growth in 2023 outperforming it's competitors.[4]

Brands

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References

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  1. ^ "Top FMCG Companies in Bangladesh: At a Glance". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  2. ^ "Orion Group : : About Us". www.orion-group.net. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. ^ "36th AGM of Kohinoor Chemical Company (BD) held". Jagonews24.com. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Kohinoor Chemical on growth path, while peers take a blow". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  5. ^ "Kohinoor Chemicals posts 16.5% jump in profit in July–March". The Daily Star. 2023-05-02. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  6. ^ "CSE Shariah Index revised". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  7. ^ "Beauty soap market jumps four times in 10 years". businesspostbd.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Kohinoor Chemical Company LTD". kohinoor-bd.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  9. ^ Regional Trade Directory: Iran-Pakistan-Turkey. Madatali Karamali. 1968.
  10. ^ "Tibet » Contact". Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Scamster Obaidul Karim gets 5 years". The Daily Star. 2008-08-13. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-29.