Mumbai: Wipro Consumer Care, the Rs818-crore consumer care and lighting division of infotech major Wipro, is close to acquiring Singapore-based consumer care company, Unza.

The stake is being sold by Actis and Standard Chartered''s private equity arm, which jointly own about 58 per cent of Unza, reports said.

The deal size was estimated at over Rs1,000 crore, media reports quoting sources said. Other Indian bidders like Dabur, Emami and Godrej were out of the race over valuation issues, reports said.

Unza manufactures and markets personal care products, mostly in Southeast Asian markets. The company has 48 brands spanning products like soaps, shampoos, deodorants and talcum powder and a presence in over 58,000 retail outlets in the region.

While Unza''s extensive distribution channel and large manufacturing base would provide a good opportunity for Indian consumer goods companies, a company with such a huge product offering could prove daunting for Indian players who are relatively inexperienced in international markets, analysts feel.

However, Unza''s distribution channel could offer a great marketing opportunity and Wipro might leverage this acquisition in the long run.