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CMA begins formal Phase 1 inquiry into McCormick and Unilever merger
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has begun its Phase 1 inquiry into McCormick & Co’s acquisition of Unilever’s food business.
Major CPG players launch The PaperFlex Consortium to drive paper-based flexible packaging innovation
A new initiative – The PaperFlex Consortium – has launched today, comprising six global consumer goods companies, aiming to accelerate the development of responsibly designed paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging.
Unilever puts Colman’s mustard brand up for sale amid McCormick deal
Unilever has confirmed that it is seeking a buyer for its Colman’s mustard brand as it looks to address potential competition concerns surrounding the planned combination of its food business with McCormick.
Unilever agrees on worker protection deal following McCormick food merger
Unilever has agreed to protect the employment terms of workers across its European and British food business for two years following its planned merger with US spice maker McCormick, Reuters has reported.
McCormick outlines structure and leadership for combined Unilever Foods business
McCormick has unveiled the planned operating structure, executive team and secondary listing location for its proposed combination with Unilever’s Foods business.
CMA opens review of proposed merger between McCormick and Unilever
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an initial review into McCormick and Company’s proposed acquisition of Unilever’s food business.
Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch consumer packaged goods company with brands across food and beverages, home care, and personal care and beauty. One of the world’s leading suppliers of FMCG products, Unilever says that on any given day 2.5 billion people – a third of the world’s population – will use at least one of its products.
The company was created in 1929 by the merger of Dutch margarine manufacturer Unie and British soap maker Lever Brothers – hence the name ‘Unilever’. Unie itself was created by a merger between four different Dutch margarine companies – two of which had been profit sharing for 20 years before the merger – while Lever Brothers is today best-remembered for Port Sunlight, a model village in the northwest of England built for workers at its nearby soap factory, and their families.
Both Unie and Lever Brothers’ innovatively unorthodox approach to business is mirrored today in Unilever – for one, the company is dual-listed with headquarters in both London and Rotterdam and listings on both the Dutch and British stock exchanges.
Unilever is heavily active in ice cream, with brands like Breyers, Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Klondike and Carte d’Or; in condiments and sauces, with the likes of Hellmann’s, Knorr, Maille, Marmite and Colman’s; and in tea, where its labels include PG Tips, Lipton and Pure Leaf.
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