Unilever is bidding farewell to its Unox and Zwan brands. Both Dutch brands, renowned for their smoked sausages and soups, will be acquired by Zwanenberg Food Group.
A “difficult decision”
The sale is part of a wider strategic restructuring, as Unilever is increasingly concentrating on fewer but larger brands and wants to develop in segments such as snacks and sauces. Unox’ instant noodles and Cup-a-Soup will therefore remain in the Unilever portfolio. CEO Heike Schipper said the exit of Unox was a “difficult decision”, according to Dutch media, due in part to the brand’s strong cultural links with typical Dutch traditions.
At Zwanenberg Food Group, however, the brands will be in familiar hands: in 2017, Unilever already sold the Oss plant where Unox smoked sausages and pea soups are produced to Zwanenberg. According to the FMCG giant, Unox and Zwan’s meats and soups require a specialised supply chain, which makes rapid adjustments in production capacity difficult and therefore inconsistent with Unilever’s future strategy. The transaction is expected to be completed in the course of next year.
The sale of Unox and Zwan comes just days after the announcement of the sale of the Conimex brand, which specialises in Asian dishes, to a Finnish food company. Unilever has also been considering the sell-off of its ice cream brands, including Magnum, Ola and Ben & Jerry’s, for some time. So far, however, Unilever has not found a buyer for this division.
