Tag: Unilever

Ben & Jerry’s Israel boycott row intensifies as Ecuadorian supermarket chain pulls ice creams from shelves

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ECUADOR – Ben & Jerry’s Israel boycott row is getting thicker by the day, threatening the existence of the brand in countries with strong ties with Israel.   In Ecuador for instance, El Rosado Group, which owns one of the largest supermarket chains in the country with more than 180 stores, has taken the decision to withdraw from all its businesses all ice cream manufactured by Unilever.  According to the company, the decision was prompted by Ben & Jerry’s statement that said the company believes it is inconsistent with its values “for Ben…

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High inflation eats into Unilever’s Q2 profits forcing CPG giant to lower full-year profit guidance

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UK – Consumer goods giant Unilever is the latest causality of rising costs of raw materials, packaging and transport which have eaten into the company’s Quarter 2 profits and forced it to lower its full year guidance. Despite Unilever reporting an underlying sales growth of 5.4%, high inflation resulted in the company’s underlying operating margin in the six months to June dropping 100 basis points from a year earlier to 18.8 percent.  The company further noted that additional investment in its brands had also weighed on margins pushing net profits…

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Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s pulls out of Israeli-occupied territories attracting the ire of authorities

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ISRAEL –  Ben & Jerry’s, a fully owned subsidiary of Unilever, has decided to stop selling ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).  Ben & Jerry’s is popular in Israel, its ice cream coming in special flavours to mark Jewish festivals or national events.   It is also sold in Israeli settlements – something that has seen activists in the US put pressure on the company, known for its progressive views.  Bowing to pressure, Ben & Jerry’s said in a statement that it had reached the decision to withdraw from OPT as its continued stay…

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South African food manufacturers Tiger Brands, Unilever suspend advertising amid unrest

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SOUTH AFRICA – Tiger Brands, South Africa’s biggest food manufacturer, has halt its advertising campaigns amid widespread unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. “Out of respect for our consumers, Tiger Brands has made the decision to temporarily suspend consumer marketing activities at a time when many of South Africans are facing difficulties in accessing products due to the closure of retail outlets. “We are engaging with government and support efforts by law enforcement agencies to restore calm, reopen key distribution routes and create a safe environment for the resumption of normal…

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Unilever: Beating all odds to become a world leader in sustainable manufacturing

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Unilever prides itself to be a company that has championed sustainable living for the 120 years that it has been in existence. “Our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace. It’s why we come to work. It’s why we’re in business. It’s how we inspire exceptional performance,” the company says.

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Mondelēz partners with major food companies to support flexible plastic recycling in UK

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UK –Mondelēz International together with other major food manufacturing companies such as Mars UK, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever have come together to support flexible plastic recycling in the United Kingdom (UK). According to a statement from Mondelēz, the companies have set up a £1 million fund to help make flexible plastic recycling economically viable for recyclers and easier for consumers in the UK. To make flexible packaging a reality, the fund will collaborate with manufacturers, retailers and recyclers to give the material a stable value. This will, in turn, increase…

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Unilever partners food-tech company Enough to bolster plant-based strategy

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UK – Consumer packaged goods (CPG) giant Unilever has announced a new partnership with Enough, a Scotland based food company specializing in mycoprotein technology, to bolster its plant-based strategy. Enough’s technology uses a unique zero-waste fermentation process to grow a high-quality protein containing all essential amino acids as well as being high in dietary fibre. To develop the proteins which Enough calls Abunda, natural fungi are fed with renewable feedstock, such as wheat and corn. With the partnership, Unilever will add the Abunda protein to its existing meat products under…

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Unilever shareholders vote in favour of climate action plan

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UK – Consumer packaged goods company Unilever has revealed that an ‘overwhelming majority’ of its shareholders voted in favour of its climate transition action plan. The company first announced that it would seek shareholder approval for its plan back in December, claiming that it was the first ‘major global company’ to voluntarily commit to putting its climate transition plans before a shareholder vote. The vote took place at a virtual meeting on 5th May, in which Unilever intended to strengthen its engagement and dialogue with its investors. According to a…

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Rising costs take huge bite on Unilever Nigeria’s Q1 earnings resulting to 144% profit decline

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NIGERIA – Unilever Nigeria, one of the leading players in the Nigeria’s consumer goods sector, has recorded a turnover of N19.4 bn in the first quarter of 2021, representing a 46% growth compared to N13.3bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2020. According to reports by Brand Spur, the rise is attributed to a 48% growth in sales. However, the gains were wiped out by a 51% upsurge in cost of sales, jointly driven by an increase in brand and marketing, overheads, and service fees which shot up by 63%,…

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Unilever records 5.7% sales growth in Q1, announces US$3.6bn share buyback program

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UK – Consumer packaged goods giant Unilever has reported a 5.7% growth in sales for the quarter ending March 31st as strong performance in emerging markets offset declines in Europe, where volumes were impacted by lockdowns. Emerging markets grew 9.4% driven by strong double-digit growth in China and India, following strict lock-downs in the prior year. Latin America grew high-single digit while South East Asia declined, driven by Indonesia. Developed markets, on the other hand, grew 0.8%, with mid-single digit growth in North America offset by a decline in Europe.…

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