Consumer
Unilever CEO Steps Up With Plan to Shed Ben & Jerry’s, Jobs
- Consumer-goods company to separate its ice cream division
- Ice cream business could be worth $18 billion, analysts say
A tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The new boss of Unilever Plc wants to reverse years of lackluster performance with an ambitious plan to separate the conglomerate’s ice cream arm and remove layers of middle management.
About nine months since taking charge of the Anglo-Dutch company, Hein Schumacher moved to offload a division worth as much as $18 billion, according to Barclays analysts. It’s home to brands including Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum — which a previous Unilever chief, Paul Polman, dubbed “one of the greatest-ever success stories in the consumer goods market.”