Unilever in hunt to acquire European brands

by James Quilter , Brand Republic 27-Apr-09, 08:40

LONDON - Unilever is planning a series of European acquisitions starting with Alpro Soya, the Belgian manufacturer of soya milk and yoghurts.

Unilever's move to acquire new brands follows a period of restructuring in 2007 when the company's former chief executive merged its food and consumer goods division.

Now this has been completed new chief executive Paul Polman, who joined from Nestle last year, is ready to expand Unilever's brand portfolio.

According to The Sunday Times other companies on Unilever's list of potential acquisitions include Baltimor, Russia's largest manufacturer of tomato sauce, and Sara Lee's European household and personal care business.

If the Sara Lee deal went through it would see brands such as Brylcreem and Sanex deodorant come under the Unilever umbrella.