https://www.standard.co.uk/business/anglodutch-unilever-sets-up-base-solely-in-london-a4465716.html
Unilever, the Ben & Jerry's to Dove soaps giant, today said it would be ending its joint Anglo-Dutch structure and will unify its headquarters in London.
The move comes as a total U-turn on its previous plan to move to Holland, which was dropped in 2018 after howls of protest from UK shareholders.
The debacle - sparked by a takeover approach by Kraft-Heinz the previous year - was seen as a major blunder by then-chairman Marijn Dekkers and fellow Dutchman Paul Polman, the chief executive.
Now under the leadership of chairman Nils Andersen and chief executive Alan Jope, Unilever has concluded the opposite plan will be more effective.
The multinational which is one of the biggest companies on the FTSE-100 Index does not want to come out of the coronavirus crisis with its old-fashioned dual structure, which makes it far more cumbersome to carry out takeovers or demergers funded by shares.
In a rationale sparking speculation of big takeover deals to come, the group said: "Such flexibility is even more important as we anticipate the increasingly dynamic business environment that the covid-19 pandemic will create."
Which is nice.
Unilever, the Ben & Jerry's to Dove soaps giant, today said it would be ending its joint Anglo-Dutch structure and will unify its headquarters in London.
The move comes as a total U-turn on its previous plan to move to Holland, which was dropped in 2018 after howls of protest from UK shareholders.
The debacle - sparked by a takeover approach by Kraft-Heinz the previous year - was seen as a major blunder by then-chairman Marijn Dekkers and fellow Dutchman Paul Polman, the chief executive.
Now under the leadership of chairman Nils Andersen and chief executive Alan Jope, Unilever has concluded the opposite plan will be more effective.
The multinational which is one of the biggest companies on the FTSE-100 Index does not want to come out of the coronavirus crisis with its old-fashioned dual structure, which makes it far more cumbersome to carry out takeovers or demergers funded by shares.
In a rationale sparking speculation of big takeover deals to come, the group said: "Such flexibility is even more important as we anticipate the increasingly dynamic business environment that the covid-19 pandemic will create."
Which is nice.
