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Unilever will cut around 1,500 fewer jobs in Europe than previously anticipated as part of a cost-saving programme that involves spinning off its ice cream unit, Reuters has reported.

The company revealed plans to separate its ice cream unit, which includes the brands Ben & Jerry’s, Walls and Magnum, in March this year. Alongside this, it announced the launch of a global productivity programme targeting €800 million in cost savings over the next three years, a move it confirmed would impact 7,500 jobs worldwide.

However, Reuters said it received confirmation from Unilever’s European Works Council (UEWC) chairman, Hermann Soggeberg, that UEWC had reached a deal with the company resulting in a reduction of around 1,700 European jobs, rather than the anticipated 3,200 job losses projected previously.

A spokesperson for Unilever told FoodBev that the business remains “fully on track” to deliver the €800 million savings from the programme, adding: “When we announced the programme, we were determined to mitigate the impact of these changes on our people and so we are pleased that we have achieved this in Europe through a combination of role transfers to our ice cream business, a hiring freeze and natural attrition”.

“This has reduced the number of people who will leave our business, while ensuring that we fully deliver on the cost savings that we committed to.”

According to Reuters, UEWC’s Soggeberg confirmed that around 1,000 additional jobs would be offered at the company’s European ice cream unit, primarily to employees affected by job cuts elsewhere across the business.

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