Unilever eyes sale of multiple food brands worth €1bn, says CEO

Unilever sign
FMCGNews

Unilever’s CEO has said the consumer goods manufacturer plans to sell multiple food brands that have a combined value of more than €1bn (£830.6m) in sales.

Chief executive Hein Schumacher told Dutch financial publication FD that the food and drink manufacturer wants to offload several food brands as part of its plan to streamline its food business.

While it did not specify which brands would be offloaded, Schumacher’s comment follows a report from Reuters that Unilever planned to sell food brands in both Britain and Europe.

Schumacher told the publication he aimed to trim the “rather eclectic portfolio of food brands”, to instead focus on condiments, products and sauces for restaurants and professional kitchens.


Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning


Unilever’s portfolio currently contains a range of food brands, including mustard brand Colman’s, stock cube Knorr, beef extract Bovril and yeast spread brand Marmite as well a a selection of notable ice cream brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and Cornetto.

However the chief executive added that not every brand will be cut. He said: “We are not conducting a fire sale. There will always be brands that are not a perfect strategic fit, but that will remain part of Unilever.”

Earlier this year, Unilever revealed it was to slash over 7,500 jobs as it attempted to offload its £15bn ice cream division – a portfolio move that it ultimately shelved last month as it struggled to find buyers.

In November, it put its plant-based meat alternative brand the Vegetarian Butcher up for sale as it looked to slim its portfolio of brands even further.

FMCGNews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

FMCGNews

Share:

Unilever eyes sale of multiple food brands worth €1bn, says CEO

Unilever sign

Unilever’s CEO has said the consumer goods manufacturer plans to sell multiple food brands that have a combined value of more than €1bn (£830.6m) in sales.

Chief executive Hein Schumacher told Dutch financial publication FD that the food and drink manufacturer wants to offload several food brands as part of its plan to streamline its food business.

While it did not specify which brands would be offloaded, Schumacher’s comment follows a report from Reuters that Unilever planned to sell food brands in both Britain and Europe.

Schumacher told the publication he aimed to trim the “rather eclectic portfolio of food brands”, to instead focus on condiments, products and sauces for restaurants and professional kitchens.


Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning


Unilever’s portfolio currently contains a range of food brands, including mustard brand Colman’s, stock cube Knorr, beef extract Bovril and yeast spread brand Marmite as well a a selection of notable ice cream brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and Cornetto.

However the chief executive added that not every brand will be cut. He said: “We are not conducting a fire sale. There will always be brands that are not a perfect strategic fit, but that will remain part of Unilever.”

Earlier this year, Unilever revealed it was to slash over 7,500 jobs as it attempted to offload its £15bn ice cream division – a portfolio move that it ultimately shelved last month as it struggled to find buyers.

In November, it put its plant-based meat alternative brand the Vegetarian Butcher up for sale as it looked to slim its portfolio of brands even further.

FMCGNews

Social

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Read

FMCGNews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

RELATED STORIES

Most Read

Latest Feature

Menu

Please enter the verification code sent to your email: