Unilever seeks to divest Dutch classics

Unilever is considering the sale of classic Dutch brands such as Unox (soups) and Conimex (Asian seasonings). The manufacturer wants to focus only on its thirty biggest brands.

Others to follow

Unilever has asked Dutch bank ABN Amro to prepare the sale of some of its Dutch brands, including Unox and Conimex, Reuters reports based on three anonymous stakeholders. Despite their historical value, they are not part of Unilever’s core business – even though the brands earn the multinational some forty million euros in profits.

CEO Hein Schumacher wants to focus on his thirty strongest brands. Especially in Europe, the aim is to streamline operations. Following a restructuring and the planned sale of the ice cream division, other smaller European food brands would also meet the same fate.

One of the reasons why previous CEO Alan Jope was made to leave was criticism that the group had grown too big and that star brands such as Knorr and Dove were not given enough room to grow as a result. Meanwhile, there are voices calling for even the food and drugstore businesses to be separated.