Acquisitions & disposals
Summaries of the major acquisitions and disposals. Please refer to our press releases section for more details on the full announcement made.
Acquisitions to date
With effect from 1 January 2008, we entered into an expanded international partnership with Pepsico for the marketing and distribution of ready-to-drink tea products under the Lipton brand.
On 3 January 2008 we completed the sale of the Boursin brand to Le Groupe Bel for €400 million. The turnover of this brand in 2007 was approximately €100 million.
On 2 April 2008 we completed the acquisition of Inmarko, the leading Russian ice cream company. The company had a turnover in 2007 of approximately €115 million.
On 31 July 2008 we completed the sale of our Lawry’s and Adolph’s branded seasoning blends and marinades business in the US and Canada to McCormick & Company Incorporated for €410 million. The combined annual turnover of the business is approximately €100 million.
On 9 September 2008 we completed the sale of our North American laundry business in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico to Vestar Capital Partners, a leading global private equity firm, for a face value of US $1.45 billion. These businesses had a combined turnover in 2007 of approximately US $1.0 billion.
On 31 October 2008 we completed the sale of Komili, our olive oil brand in Turkey, to Ana Gida, part of the Anadolu Group.
On 4 December 2008 we completed the sale of our edible oil business in Côte d’Ivoire, together with our interests in local oil palm plantations Palmci and PHCI, to SIFCA, the parent company of an Ivorian agro-industry group, and to a 50:50 joint venture between two Singapore-based companies, Wilmar International Limited and Olam International Limited. At the same time we acquired the soap business of Cosmivoire, a subsidiary of SIFCA.
On 23 December 2008 we completed the disposal of our Bertolli olive oil and vinegar business to Grupo SOS, for a consideration of €630 million. The transaction was structured as a worldwide perpetual licence by Unilever of the Bertolli brand in respect of olive oil and premium vinegar. The transaction included the sale of the Italian Maya, Dante and San Giorgio olive oil and seed oil businesses, as well as the factory at Inveruno, Italy.
