Unilever se sépare de Me

The British hygiene and food giant Unilever will separate from its ice cream division which notably includes the giants Ben

Unilever hopes to generate savings of around 800 million euros over the next three years and its restructuring “should have an impact on around 7,500 jobs” worldwide, he explains. “These proposals will be subject to consultation,” specifies Unilever, which indicates that its restructuring costs will be around 1.2% of its turnover over the next three years, up slightly compared to previous projections. .

Unilever intends to boost its growth and margins, as part of a strategic plan unveiled in October to boost its performance. Since taking over as CEO in July, Chief Executive Hein Schumacher “has taken decisive action, launching a 1.5 billion euro share buyback last month and pledging to rebuild margin growth, undermined in a context of inflation following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine,” comments Victoria Scholar, analyst at Interactive investor. Unilever, also known for Dove soaps, Ax deodorants and Knorr soups, has been passing on soaring costs in the face of high inflation for months. The group warned this summer that price increases would ease.

Under pressure to improve performance, Hein Schumacher welcomed last month the fact that margins are starting to recover but judged that the group's “competitiveness” remained “disappointing”. Investors applauded Tuesday's announcements and the group's shares climbed 3.76% to 3,955 pence on Tuesday around 10:00 GMT on the London Stock Exchange.

Tuesday's announcements “would have been influenced by activist investor” and American billionaire Nelson Peltz, on the Board of Directors since 2022 and “who made similar changes” at Unilever's rival Procter

Unilever's ice cream division achieved a turnover of 7.9 billion euros in 2023. But the group last month described the modest growth displayed by this business segment as "disappointing", during the publication of a net profit down 15% last year for the entire group.

Ice cream “presents distinct characteristics compared to other operational activities”, argues Unilever, citing in particular “a supply chain and points of sale supporting frozen products” or even “greater seasonality”. Unilever, which hopes to finalize the split by the end of 2025, was also marked in 2021 by a dispute with its American subsidiary Ben