IBL today has a long history of doing business in South Asia dating back to the nineteenth century. In 1887, IBL became the sole distributors in India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka for W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarettes. The company expanded its sales distribution network and established offices in major cities including Lahore and Karachi.

After partition in 1947 the company moved its headquarters to Karachi, Pakistan and established their business under the name United Distributors Limited (UDL).

In 1991 the company decided to expand its company operations and established IBL. In the same year, IBL ventured into other business avenues as well. It started joint ventures with Gillette, P&G, Dow, FMC, Pioneer and RJ Reynolds. In 1993 IBL acquired the American pharmaceutical firm Searle.

Currently, IBL operations is the distributor for major international brands ranging from food and drinks to chemicals and electronic products. It has a vast portfolio providing, distribution, sales, marketing, warehousing, logistics and key account management services.

IBL Operations focuses on continuous quality and efficiency, by offering what they say and creating partnerships based on shared expectations and strengths.