Could Unilever sell Marmite, Bovril and Colman’s Mustard?
The CPG giant, headquartered in London, may be considering the sale of these classic brands, reports Reuters.
The UK brands have been with Unilever for a long time – Marmite and Bovril were purchased by the multinational in 2000, while Colman’s Mustard was bought in 1995.
If the sale of these brands went ahead, they would be the latest in a long line of food brands offloaded by Unilever.
Earlier this year, it sold the Vegetarian Butcher to Vivera, itself owned by Brazilian meat giant JBS.
Late last year, it sold longtime brands Unox and Zwan to Dutch company Zwanenberg Food Group.
Most significantly, it is spinning off its entire ice-cream business, which includes brands such as Wall’s and Magnum.
This spin-off, which will form the Magnum Ice Cream Company, will be finalised in December. It will be listed in Amsterdam, London and New York.
In a chat with Warren Ackerman, CEO of the bank Barclays, earlier this year, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez stressed that the company was looking for “more beauty, more wellbeing, more personal care”. He did not say “more food”. While Unilever has not suggested that it plans to get out of food, its focus is certainly shifting elsewhere.
Unilever declined to comment.
