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☆ Unilever: Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum will form the core of an $8 billion ice cream company
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The world’s biggest ice cream business is about to go it alone. The newly minted firm will boast five of the 10 best-selling ice cream brands worldwide, namely Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Walls and Cornetto. “The future growth of Unilever and ice cream is best served by separating the business,” Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher told journalists. Philippe Wojazer/ReutersThe origins of Unilever’s ice cream business can be traced back to the summer of 1913, when Thomas Wall started selling ice cream from his family butcher shop in London. But its ice cream sales took a hit last year as cash-strapped consumers cut back on non-essential spending.

Persons: Jerry’s, “, Hein Schumacher, ” Schumacher, Miko Carte, Philippe Wojazer, Thomas Wall, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves, ”, —, Schumacher Organizations: London CNN, Unilever, ” Employees, Schumacher Locations: Saint, France, London, €

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Arm, Tesla, Rivian, Netflix, Micron, Roku, Seagate & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Citi reiterates Snowflake as a top pick Citi said Snowflake remains a top pick at the firm. Citi reiterates Micron as buy Citi said concerns about the stock underperformance is overdone and investors should buy the dip in top pick Micron. "We reiterate our Buy rating on Micron and maintain our price target of $95.00, above its historical average given the DRAM upturn and continued upside." "We are initiating coverage of Duolingo with a Buy rating and $222 price target (12x 2025 revenues)." Citi reiterates Nvidia as a top pick Citi said it's staying long shares of Nvidia.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Rivian, Snowflake, Berenberg, Eli Lilly, Unilever, Edward Jones, Goldman Sachs, Piper Sandler, Piper, Datadog, Yuka Broderick, Janney, Argus, Wells, VZIO, MGY, Bernstein, it's, Evercore, Davidson Organizations: Citi, US pharma, Staples, Fractyl Health, Investor Relations, Strategic Finance, American Eagle Citi, Watch, Micron, UBS, Netflix, SUN, Kroger, Industry, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche, Seaport, Bank of America, Gas, Semiconductors, Nvidia, AMD, Seagate, Bank of, underperform Bank of America, JPMorgan, Comerica, CMA

☆ Unilever and Dell have shut down some sustainability marketing initiatives as big corporations embrace 'green hushing'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Late last month, computing giant Dell cut part of its marketing team that focused on sustainability and other ESG-related marketing roles, Business Insider has learned. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementThis is feeding into a growing trend of "green hushing," where companies stop publicizing their sustainability efforts due to concerns around regulatory scrutiny or a consumer backlash, experts say. Other sustainability agencies have been absorbed into wider offerings, R3 EVP of delivery Sarah Tan told Business Insider. Leo Rayman, head of the sustainability consultancy and venture studio Eden Lab, said that the green hushing phenomenon could suggest a sign of maturity in the space.

Persons: we're, Hein Schumacher, hushing, Pimco, , Harriet Kingaby, Sarah Tan, Kingaby, Bud, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Guy Parker, — that'll, Parker, Leo Rayman, Rayman, Townsend Organizations: Dell, Business, Unilever, JPMorgan, State, ACT Climate Labs, Media, Advertising Network, Brands, Green Guides, Standards Authority, ASA, BMW, Shell, Etihad Airways, Competition, Markets Authority, Eden, Sustainability

☆ Unilever launches $1.6 billion buyback as CEO demands improvements
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Unilever launched a 1.5 billion euro ($1.6 billion) share buyback on Thursday after volumes increased for the first time in 10 quarters, although its CEO said its performance needs to improve. Unilever's shares rose as much as 4% on Thursday, hitting their highest point since it last reported earnings in October. Unilever said it expects "modest improvement" in underlying operating margin for the full year and underlying sales growth within its multi-year 3% to 5% range. The company reported a roughly 5% rise in fourth-quarter underlying sales, meeting analysts' average forecast, a company-provided consensus showed. Underlying fourth quarter price growth was 2.8% and underlying volumes were up 1.8%, rising for the first time since the second quarter of 2021.

Persons: Hein Schumacher, Charlie Huggins, Huggins Organizations: Unilever, Wealth Locations: Russia, Ukraine

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Axe Body Spray plans to make a comeback in the U.S.Unilever's Axe used humor and irony in its early 2000s advertising campaigns to win over the American teenage boy. The brand's estimated U.S. sales reached nearly $500 million by 2012, but sales began to decline over the next five years as the brand lost sight of its core product offering. In 2023, Axe released a new line of product aiming to compete with high-end fragrances.

Locations: U.S, American

☆ Some Chick-fil-A customers can now skip the drive-thru and have their chicken sandwiches delivered by drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chick-fil-A began testing drone delivery in Texas and North Carolina last year. Retailers and restaurants testing drone service include Walmart, Amazon, and Jersey Mike's. Chick-fil-A restaurants in Granbury, Texas, and Durham, North Carolina, have been testing drone deliveries since September 2022. AdvertisementIn Florida, customers within the restaurant's drone drop zone can order delivery by drone through the Chick-fil-A app. Drone delivery is still experimental in the US but is catching on among top retailers and restaurant chains.

Persons: —, Chick, Cane's, Papa Organizations: Florida . Retailers, Walmart, Amazon, Service, Papa Johns , Jersey Mike's Subs, Cream, Little Caesars, Starbucks Locations: Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Jersey, Brandon, Granbury , Texas, Durham , North Carolina, Virginia Beach , Virginia, Tel Aviv, Papa Johns , Jersey, Little, Southern California, California, California , Texas

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Unilever (ULVR.L) top-10 investor Lindsell Train welcomed its recent management changes and said it had already discussed the consumer goods company's next steps with the incoming chairman. These moves demonstrated that Unilever thinks that a "fresh perspective on all aspects of the business is necessary", Nick Train, manager of the Finsbury Growth & Income Trust and co-founder of Lindsell Train, told Reuters. A bungled attempt to buy GSK's consumer healthcare business was followed by billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz joining the board. "We maintain a productive open dialogue with the company and most recently met with the new (Unilever) chairman to hear his view on the most beneficial next steps," Train said. Matt Close, president of its ice cream business, will also leave after a more than three-decade career with Unilever.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Nick Train, Hein Schumacher, Schumacher, Alan Jope, Nelson Peltz, Ian Meakins, Nils Anderson, Hanneke Faber, Priya Nair, Matt Close, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Alexander Smith Organizations: Unilever, REUTERS, Lindsell, Income Trust, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Finsbury

☆ The CEO of Unilever won't get a pay increase for 2 years after a backlash from shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher will have his pay frozen until 2026.will have his pay frozen until 2026. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe CEO of Unilever won't be able to get a pay rise until 2026 amid shareholder frustration, Bloomberg reported. The board's proposed pay package was rejected by shareholders at Unilever's annual general meeting in May, per Bloomberg. That's a nearly 20% increase on the fixed pay of the previous CEO, Alan Jope, from whom Schumacher took over in July. It means Schumacher won't be eligible for a pay increase in 2024 or 2025, and his fixed pay level will be reviewed by a compensation committee in 2026.

Persons: Hein Schumacher, Schumacher, —, That's, Alan Jope, Jope, Nelson Peltz, Terry Smith Organizations: Unilever, Service, Bloomberg, Reuters, Telegraph

☆ Deodorants are the big winners of the return to office movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Consumer goods giant Unilever reported strong deodorant sales in the third quarter of 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementPeople returning to the office and going out socializing again are driving the sales of deodorants, according to consumer goods giant Unilever. Deodorant sales were particularly robust in Latin America and Europe, the company in its third-quarter earnings release. AdvertisementAdvertisementUnilever reported a similar strong deodorant sales growth last year and saw a big demand surge for deodorants after people started socializing as COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns eased. Overall, Unilever reported a 5.2% rise in underlying sales in the third quarter of the year from a year ago, meeting analysts' average forecast.

Persons: —, Graeme Pitkethly Organizations: Unilever, Guardian, Service, Strong Locations: America, Europe

☆ Unilever is selling Dollar Shave Club after 7 long, awkward years of trying to make it work
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Unilever is selling Dollar Shave Club seven years after paying $1 billion for the brand. Unilever struggled to grow Dollar Shave Club, sources previously told. "Dollar Shave Club did not deliver as expected, and the economics of the DTC model changed," then-CEO Jope said during an earnings call in 2022. "Dollar Shave Club will also serve as a platform for additional brands with a similar DNA." Do you have a story idea about Dollar Shave Club or Unilever to share?

Persons: —, Fabian Garcia, Michael Dubin, Mark Levine, Schick, Dubin, Graeme Pitkethly, You've, Alan Jope, hadn't, Jope, Michael Cohen Organizations: Unilever, Nexus Capital Management, NEW, Service, Care, Gillette, Schmidt's Naturals, Procter & Gamble, Club Locations: cologne

☆ Unilever is selling Dollar Shave Club, the quirky direct-to-consumer pioneer that never really fit in with the massive company
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Unilever's new CEO lays out plans to simplify business, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Klondike, a brand of Unilever, is seen on display in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Unilever's (ULVR.L) new chief executive Hein Schumacher on Thursday laid out long-awaited plans to simplify the business after admitting it had underperformed in recent years, but shares fell as some investors were unimpressed. Unilever reported a 5.2% rise in underlying sales, meeting analysts' average forecast, a company-provided consensus showed. Underlying price growth for the third quarter was 5.8% while underlying volumes were down 0.6%. The company also announced a senior executive shake-up, naming Fernando Fernandez, currently president of the beauty and wellbeing business, as its new chief financial officer.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Hein Schumacher, Schumacher, Richard Saldanha, Alan Jope, Nelson Peltz, we've, Graeme Pitkethly, Fernando Fernandez, Richa Naidu, Mark Potter, Jason Neely Organizations: Unilever, REUTERS, Aviva, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Europe

☆ Some soft commodity prices are surging, adding to consumer woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Futures contracts on orange juice, live cattle, raw sugar and cocoa each hit their highs for the year this month. The higher prices add another layer of pain to consumers' wallets at a time when stubborn core inflation, excluding food and energy, stood at 4.3% in August. The juice futures market reached a record $3.50 per pound this month. Meat prices have been driven by shrinking U.S. cattle herds, continued beef demand, plus higher input costs for labor and fuel. Shoppers are bearing the brunt of the higher prices as the world's largest food companies try and pass along their rising input costs.

Persons: Paul Caruso, It's, Darwei Kung, Kung, François, Xavier Roger, Grame David Pitkethly, Ben, Jerry's, Pitkethly, We've Organizations: Ancora, U.S, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Shoppers, Barclays Consumer Staples Conference, Barclays, Unilever Locations: Florida, Brazil, Mexico, India, Thailand

Since then, Unilever has worked to make Elida an autonomous unit that could also appeal in its entirety to private equity firms, the sources added. Morgan Stanley and Evercore have now contacted several parties to gauge acquisition interest in Elida for what could be a multi-billion-dollar deal, according to the sources. Unilever, Morgan Stanley and Evercore declined to comment. This has prompted Unilever, the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, to review its portfolio of non-core assets it can sell to raise cash. Unilever beat underlying sales growth forecasts in the second quarter after raising prices to offset the higher costs.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Hein Schumacher, Ives, Moussel, Alberto Balsam, Evercore, Abigail Summerville, Richa Naidu, Chizu Organizations: Unilever Plc, Evercore Inc, Unilever, Credit Suisse, Elida, Breyers, Thomson Locations: St, Zwitsal, Elida, Klondike, New York, London

Reuters GraphicsReuters spoke to four shareholders that have launched activist campaigns who said that some big consumer goods companies are ripe for executive changes after failing to impress. Reuters GraphicsMany large consumer goods companies generally hold low levels of debt and are cash generative, said André Medeiros, managing director and Alvarez & Marsal's EMEA consumer and retail leader. 'ADVOCATING FOR MANAGEMENT CHANGE'Gianluca Ferrari, founding partner of investor Clearway Capital, said his firm had some consumer companies on its radar but declined to name them. He did not identify specific executives nor disclose the nature of his work with consumer companies. In October, Reuters reported that Peltz had approached former CEOs of consumer goods companies as candidates for the Unilever top job.

Persons: Danone's, Emmanuel Faber, David Samra, Samra, Alvarez, Marsal, André Medeiros, Nelson Peltz, Artisan's Samra, We're, Peltz, Heinz, Gianluca Ferrari, Ferrari, Clearway, Glanbia, Faber, Bluebell, Nicolas Ceron, Ceron, underperformance, Kraft Heinz, KHC.O, Andrew Hayes, Russell Reynolds, John Long, Korn, Long, Alan Jope departure's, Unilever's, Graeme Pitkethly, Hein Schumacher, Heinz's, Bill Johnson, Nelson, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Artisan Partners, Reuters, Danone, Evian, Unilever, Consumer Products, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Marsal's EMEA, Billionaire, Artisan, Cadbury Schweppes, Heinz, Trian, Bluebell Capital, shareholders, Bluebell, Diageo, Russell Reynolds Associates, Thomson Locations: York, H.J, Frankfurt, Western Europe, North America

[1/2] Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. Smucker (SJM.N) on Monday agreed to buy Twinkies maker Hostess Brands (TWNK.O) for $5.6 billion including debt in a deal that unites two major American snack makers. The deal was worth about $4.6 billion excluding debt, with Jif peanut butter maker Smucker paying Hostess shareholders $34.25 per share. Campbell Soup's (CPB.N) recent acquisition of Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands (SOVO.O) represented an adjusted EBITDA multiple of 14.6 times, including run rate savings, and 19.8 times excluding those. Based in Lenexa, Kansas, Hostess was founded in 1930 and is behind several iconic household brands, including Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Zingers, and Voortman cookies and wafers.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Smucker, Campbell Soup's, Smucker's, Campbell, Hostess, Ding Dongs, Dean Metropoulos, Alec Gores, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Dimpal, Savio D'Souza, Shinjini Ganguli, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands, Reuters, Sovos, JPMorgan, Sovos Brands, Hos, Smucker, Apollo Global Management Inc, Hostess, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, North America, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho, Bengaluru, New York

☆ 13 brands, from Coca-Cola to REI, that are pouring money into movies and TV to reach consumers with Hollywood-style storytelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mattel's Barbie is just one of many big brands getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. "Barbie" may be the movie of the summer, but lots of other big brands are getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. Brands are also getting more systematic about tracking the projects' outcome so they can justify the cost. Neutrogena: Neutrogena Studios launched in 2021 and is J&J Consumer's first brand-funded content studio to make feature documentaries and scripted shorts. Showtime/PepsiPepsiCo: PepsiCo's Content Studio is led by veteran PepsiCo marketer Lou Arbetter.

Persons: Barbie, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Brian Newman, REI, Michael Sugar's, Jae Goodman, Lauren Denowitz, Coke, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard's, Selman Careaga, John Deere, Mara Downing, Al Roker, Jill Wilfert, Robbie Brenner, J.J, Abrams, Lena Dunham, Barney, Daniel Kaluuya, J, Sebastian Garcia, Laurie Hernandez, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck's, Entertainment —, Justin Biskin —, Howard, Lou Arbetter, Max, Robert Rodriguez, Nadia Hallgre, Stanley Nelson, Arbetter, It's, Procter, Kimberly Doebereiner, Paolo Mottola, Kyra Sedgwick, Watiti, Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello, Saint, Pedro Almodóvar, Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, it's, Paolo Sorrentino, David Cronenberg, Kelly Mullen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Lena Waithe, WePresent, Holly Fraser, Moses Sumney, Solange Knowles, Riz Ahmed, Aneil, Fraser Organizations: Hollywood, Procter, Gamble, Brands, Unilever, InBev, Waffle Iron Entertainment, draftLine Entertainment, Netflix, Coca Cola, Entertainment, Global, Deere, Warner Bros, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Mattel, Neutrogena Studios, Studio, Kerry, Seattle Film, Ghetto Film, HBO Nike, Nike, Waffle, Apple, HBO, Showtime, Pepsi PepsiCo, PepsiCo, Pepsi Super, Pepsi, G Studios, Imagine, Amazon's, Hulu, Paramount, Blue Fox Entertainment, Saint Laurent Productions, Unilever Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, Monotype Locations: Hollywood, Kerry Washington, American, Cannes, Britain

☆ Fungi-based meat alternative startup Enough, founded by a former Quorn boss, just raised $43.5 million with this 16-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fungi-based food startup Enough just secured $43.5 million (40 million euros) in growth funding. Glasgow-based Enough, founded in 2015, ferments fungi to create an alternative to animal-based meat known as mycoprotein. Its neutral flavor and meaty texture mean it can be used to create a range of plant-based meat, fish, and dairy products. The plant-based meat industry has stagnated in recent years with the likes of Beyond Meat reporting lower sales and Meatless Farm going into administration. For example, one in five Burger King Whoppers sold in Germany is plant–based while plant-based startup This was recently named the fastest-growing food brand in the UK.

Persons: Jim Laird, he's, Laird, Whoppers, Beef Organizations: World Fund, Burger, Unilever, British, Capital, European, CPT Capital Locations: Scottish, Quorn, Glasgow, Germany, soya, Netherlands

☆ 13 Hollywood production companies making brand films that streamers like Netflix and Apple want to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Marc Gilbar, who runs the brand division at Imagine Entertainment. Some are also looking to brand films to offset some of the revenue they're losing in the dual Hollywood strikes. (Brand films are often unscripted and thus aren't governed by the Hollywood unions.) They also see brand work being a positive for below-the-line workers who are idled by the work stoppage. Led by EVP Kate Oppenheim, Tribeca Studios' projects have included "We Could be King" (ESPN2) for Dick's Sporting Goods and P&G's Queen Collective series (BET).

Persons: Ben Silverman, Issa Rae's Hoorae, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Julian Jacobs, we've, Marc Gilbar, Samuel L, Jackson, Emma Stone, Zac Ryder, Olivia Wilde, Laurene Powell Jobs, Caitlin McGinty, It's, James Gay, Rees, Paul Martin, Kevin Hart's, Hart, Hartbeat, Brian Price, Chase Sapphire, Procter, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Fairbourn, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Ron Howard's, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gilbar, Rocco DiSpirito, General Mills, Rupert Maconik's Saville, Werner Herzog, Barry Levinson, Sugar23, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Trevor Noah's, he's, Kennedy, Matt Rotondo helms, Sugar, Mike Beck, Alexa Conway, Trevor Noah, Kate Oppenheim, HBO Max, Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney Ventureland, Kerstin Emhoff, Paul Hunter, John Battsek, Stacy's Pita Chips, Will, Jada Pinkett, REI, Gargi Organizations: Hollywood, Brands, Mattel, Netflix, Apple, UTA, Imagine Entertainment, Producers, Adobe, IBM, Anonymous, HP, Afghan Girls National Soccer Team, Showtime, Pepsi Boardwalk Pictures, Relativity Media, Super, Pepsi, REI, Unilever, Marriott, Surf League, Major League Soccer, Sam's, Gamble, Weinstein Co, Hulu, Imagine, Paramount, Saville Productions, Disney, Time Studios, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser, Busch, InBev, CAA, Studios, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Tribeca Studios, Dick's Sporting Goods, HBO, CNN, Mobile, Stacy's, Everest, Vice Studios, Westbrook Media, Meta, Logitech, Samsung Locations: Hollywood, Subway, Magnolia

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) improved its full-year organic sales outlook and reported better-than-expected first-half organic sales, as the world's biggest packaged food company again raised prices to cope with higher input costs. Nestle said it is narrowing its full-year organic sales growth guidance - which does not include the impact of currency movements and acquisitions - to a range of 7%-8% from a range of 6-8%. Real internal growth - or sales volumes - fell 0.8% versus expectations of a 0.6% decline. "We're still repairing our gross margin," he added. Reckitt reported sales volumes for the second quarter were down 4.3%, Unilever's quarterly volumes were down 0.3% and Danone's second-quarter volume/mix declined 2.3%.

Persons: Nestle, Mark Schneider, Schneider, Jean, Philippe Bertschy, Reckitt, Richa Naidu, Kim Coghill, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Nestle, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Ukraine

Unilever's ice cream business, which includes the Wall's brands, accounts for about 15% of group turnover. "Will we see more ice cream sales? In quarterly results it reported on Tuesday the company said out-of-home ice cream underlying sales grew by a double-digit percentage with positive price and volume growth. Unilever owns, loans and maintains 3 million ice cream freezers around the world, according to its website. Some analysts expect the global market for impulse ice cream buying to grow 5.7% between 2023–2028.

Persons: Jerry's, Graeme Pitkethly, Pitkethly, Richa Naidu, Jason Neely Organizations: Unilever, World Meteorological, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ Unilever quarterly sales beat estimates, boost shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoSummaryCompanies Underlying sales, price, volume growth beat forecastsPast peak cost inflation -finance chiefFocus is on volume growth -finance chiefShares jump 5%LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - Unilever (ULVR.L) on Tuesday beat underlying sales growth forecasts after again raising prices to offset higher costs, boosting shares in the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The British company reported a 7.9% rise in underlying second-quarter sales, beating analysts' average forecast of 6.4%, a company-provided consensus showed. The company said it expects underlying sales growth for the full year to be above 5%, ahead of its multi-year range, with underlying price growth continuing to moderate through the year. Unilever said the percentage of its "business winning market share" had reduced to 41%. The metric assesses what percentage of the company's revenue is coming from areas in which it is gaining market share on a rolling 12-month basis.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hein Schumacher, Alan Jope, Jochen Kurz, Alan, Kurz, Graeme Pitkethly, Janus Henderson, Bernstein, Bruno Monteyne, Hein Schumacher’s, Richa Naidu, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Unilever, British, Kurz, Rivals, Nestle, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine

Moscow's actions highlight the vulnerability of other consumer products companies that still have operations in Russia, some of which have announced plans to leave. "The second option is to sell the business, but the reality is, we have not found a viable solution that meets our stated objectives." The company, which owns the Knorr soup and Dove soap brands, employs over 3,000 people in Russia. In March 2022 Unilever became the first major European food company to stop imports into and exports out of Russia after the country's invasion of Ukraine. Former CEO Alan Jope said at the time "volumes in our Russian business are down significantly, by double digits".

Persons: Hein Schumacher, Schumacher, Knorr, Alan Jope, Richa Naidu, Jason Neely Organizations: Unilever, Danone, Carlsberg, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Dove owner Unilever says it will permit conscription of its Russia employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Consumer goods giant Unilever has confirmed it will comply with legislation that could see its employees in Russia conscripted into the war in Ukraine. It has around 3,000 employees in Russia, working across four manufacturing sites and one head office. Ecclissato said in the letter that Unilever has faced three options for its Russia operations. One was closing all Russia operations, after which he said Unilever's business and brands in the country would be "appropriated — and then operated — by the Russian state." The third, which Unilever has adopted, was continuing to run the business with constraints that have been in place since March.

Persons: Reginaldo Ecclissato, Jerry's, Knorr, Ecclissato, — Organizations: Trinity Cathedral, Consumer, Unilever, BBC, Sunday, Business Operations, CNBC, Ben Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ This Harvard dropout and her brother launched a company to conserve liquids in factories
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

"As with every family business, everyone is involved in the family business," Annie told CNBC. We grew up in the sector," Annie told CNBC. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Annie and David Lu at a Harvard Innovation Labs event, when they were still ideating. As part of this partnership, Unilever tested the H2Ok Innovations solution at its Ben & Jerry's facility in Waterbury, Vermont. "They are exceptionally smart, visionary and courageous — the kind of founders investors dream to back," Iskold told CNBC.

Persons: David, Annie Lu, Annie Lu Annie Lu, Lu, Lu's, hasn't, Annie, David's, David Lu, David Lu They, Sandeep Desai, Desai, Jeff Bussgang, Alex Iskold, doting, Iskold, Dayna Grayson, We've, David giggled, it's Organizations: Harvard, CNBC, H2Ok, Construct, Flybridge, Ventures, Greentown Labs, Forbes, H20k, Harvard Innovation Labs, Unilever, AB InBev, Coca Cola Co, Colgate, Palmolive, Waterbury, Unit, Flybridge Capital, Construct Capital Locations: China, Saskatoon, Canada, Bay, Techstars, Boston, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Waterbury , Vermont, U.S, Brazil, United States, H2Ok

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