Unilever accused of ousting Ben and Jerry’s chief over activism March 19, 2025 Ben and Jerry’s has accused parent company Unilever of removing its chief executive David Stever over the firm’s political activism. In a court filing, the ice cream brand alleged that Unilever had violated a merger agreement by trying to silence its “social mission”, advocated by Stever. “Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including [...]
Unilever rushes to sell underperforming food labels as it focuses on ‘power brands’ March 11, 2025 Unilever will speed up the sale of its underperforming labels and focus on its 30 power brands, according to its chief executive. Fernando Fernandez said the FTSE-100 company would act at a “faster pace” and that the firm has around €1bn (£840m) of brands in its Foods Europe division, which “don’t fit well” with its company’s portfolio. [...]
Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher makes surprise resignation February 25, 2025 Unilever chief Hein Schumacher has unexpectedly resigned after less than two years in the role, as the company attempts to push forward with its cost-cutting programme. Schumacher will be succeeded by Unilever’s financial chief Fernando Fernandez from next week and leave the firm at the end of May, the firm said. The news comes amid [...]
Unilever: Amsterdam chosen for primary ice cream listing in blow for London February 13, 2025 Shares in Dove and Marmite maker Unilever have dipped despite an uptick in profit, with some additional concern as London will miss out on the primary listing of its ice cream arm. Shares dipped more than seven per cent in early trades due to “exceptionally weak” guidance, analysts said. “Unfortunately for Unilever… the market doesn’t tend [...]
Time to breakup? Which UK stocks might benefit from selling assets January 27, 2025 Selling assets is a fashionable activity for UK stocks: WH Smith announced this morning that it is exploring a possible sale of its high street business to focus on its travel trade, following in the footsteps of Reckitt Bensicker, Marston’s and DCC, all of which have sold assets to unlock value recently. The news from [...]
FTSE 100 hits all-time high as investors bet on interest rate cuts January 17, 2025 The FTSE 100 has hit a new all-time high this morning, surpassing the previous peaks it reached in spring last year, as investors ramp up their bets on an interest rate cut by the Bank of England next month. The value of London’s 100 largest listed companies has grown 3.2 per cent in the last [...]
Mark Kleinman: Unilever puts buyout firms in the deep freeze December 12, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles Unilever’s flakey ice cream approach, Thames Water’s demanding investors, and the long-winded sale of The Observer. Anyone for an ice cream fight? The decision of FTSE-100 consumer goods behemoth Unilever to [...]
Unilever: Dove and Magnum owner shrugs off economic concerns October 24, 2024 Consumer goods giant Unilever has reported a period of strong growth as demand for its so-called power brands surged. In a trading update for the third quarter of 2024, the company said it had recorded underlying sales growth of 4.5 per cent compared to the prior year across its main divisions, with volume growth of [...]
UK at risk of losing out on Unilever ice-cream float September 15, 2024 The UK is at risk of losing out on a key deal for London because it hasn’t appointed an investment minister, according to a former Barclays chairman. Gerry Grimstone, who also worked as investment minister at the Treasury from 2020-2022, said that Labour’s lack of focus on boosting the UK’s stock market may see Unilever’s [...]
Unilever considers sale of Kate Somerville’s skincare line August 27, 2024 Kate Somerville’s premium skincare brand has become the latest Unilever brand to go up for sale as the group continues its restructuring plan announced earlier in the year. As well as Somerville’s eponymous facialist line, which the FTSE-100 giant has owned since 2015, it is also looking to offload sensitive-skincare specialist REN Skincare, according to [...]