Unilever denies cutting all food brands

While CEO Hein Schumacher wants to reduce Unilever‘s “eclectic” food brand portfolio, he stresses that “food will remain an integral part of Unilever”.

Sauces and professionals

In recent weeks, rumours surfaced about a possible sale of several well-known food brands at the multinational, which had already decided to spin off its ice cream division. Dutch classics like Unox and Conimex were rumoured to face the axe, as well as The Vegetarian Butcher. Schumacher would not confirm whether these rumours are true, but he does confirm that Unilever is putting various parts up for sale if they do not sufficiently fit with the rest of the portfolio.

“We have quite an eclectic portfolio of food brands, and I believe very strongly that you have to have a certain focus“, Schumacher told Dutch newspaper FD. The multinational said last year that it wants to focus on its thirty biggest brands, like food giants Knorr and Hellmann’s, which together account for almost two thirds of Unilever’s food sales. The focus would be on sauces, flavourings and products for professional customers.

This does not mean that all the ‘smaller’ brands will be sold: “There will always be brands that are not a perfect strategic fit, but that just are part of Unilever.” He cites the example of Calvé, which he calls “a very nice brand”. In any case, the CEO denies that he plans to divest all food to focus on cleaning and personal care products: “Food is, and will remain, an integral part of Unilever.”