Major chemical distributor Univar has extended its exclusive agreement in Italy with ester chemistry specialist Hallstar to include five additional countries or regions – Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and the Benelux.

“The Hallstar product range further enriches our European product catalog and allows us to bring a more holistic portfolio to our customers. As a result, we improve our ability to work with customers to create custom high-performance formulations, allowing them to quickly bring superior products to market,” said Matthew Ottaway, vice president of Focused Industries at Univar Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA).

The Hallstar portfolio offered by Univar includes natural exotic oils and butters; photostabilizers; mineral UV filter systems; antioxidants; emulsifiers and surfactants; emollients; solubilizers; stabilising agents and active ingredients.

In May, Univar unveiled its growth strategy as well as three- and five-year financial targets. Its three strategic priorities are Commercial Greatness, Operational Excellence and One Univar, which the company said will “ignite sustainable and superior growth.

“Univar is well positioned to create significant value through three powerful growth pathways that include improved margins, increased market share and market expansion,” said CEO, Stephen Newlin.

The distributor expects to deliver annual adjusted EBITDA growth of 11% or more through 2021.