Increasing rumours say that cosmetics company Estée Lauder may be up for sale and that there are a number of interested parties, including L’Oréal and Unilever.
Stronger against acquisition attempts
3G and Berkshire Hathaway will also probably launch a joint bid: these two investment firms also own Kraft Heinz. JAB, which just sold shoe brand Jimmy Choo, is also a candidate.
Everyone who is considering a bid, will have to take the Lauder family into consideration. It may only have a 40 % stake in the company, but it still controls 90 % of voting rights.
Unilever hopes an Estée Lauder acquisition will help it increase its size and make it a more difficult target for companies interested in Unilever, like Kraft Heinz several months ago. The company refused to comment on the rumours. Estée Lauder is currently valued at 34 billion euro.
