Unilever on Dec. 18 said it was selling two European food brands it has owned for nearly 100 years, but which no longer fit its strategic focus.
Unilever has an offer from Zwanenberg Food Group of the Netherlands to acquire the Unox and Zwan brands, both involving meat and soup products. The Belgian Zwan brand has been owned by Unilever or predecessor companies since 1928, the Dutch brand Unox since 1937. The deal includes a soup production plant in Poznan, Poland.
“The meat and soup products of Unox and Zwan require a distinct supply chain, sourcing model and set of technological and R&D capabilities, making them less scalable within the broader Unilever Foods portfolio,” the company announcement said. However, “Unox’s Noodles and Cup-a-Soup products are a good fit with the mini meals category and will therefore remain part of the total Unilever Foods portfolio.”
Unilever is looking to sharpen its foods portfolio for long-term growth and scalability, focusing on fewer and bigger brands, in categories such as cooking aids, mini meals and condiments. At its late-November investor event, executives noted plans continue for the planned spinoff of the ice cream business but also the disposal of more than $1 billion in small brands and products in the next 12-24 months.
Zwanenberg Food Group, based in Almelo, Netherlands, dates back to 1929 under the name Van der Laan. It’s owned the brand names Zwanenberg and Zwan since 1996, and bought a Unilever factory in Oss, Netherlands, in 2018. It established a U.S. meat tinning plant in Cincinnati in 2005. In 2007, the American food preservation activities of Tyson were taken over, and in 2011 it added Vietti Foods in Nashville, Tenn.
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Publish date : 2024-12-20 17:02:00
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