Finance
Unilever Considers Separation of Its Food Assets, Bloomberg News Reports
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 17, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 17, 2026
Quick Summary
Unilever is exploring a separation of its food assets, potentially spinning off underperforming segments as part of a broader streamlining plan. This follows earlier restructuring moves including the ice cream business demerger.
Unilever considers separation of its food assets, Bloomberg News reports
Unilever's Strategic Review of Food Assets
March 17 (Reuters) - Unilever is in the early stages of weighing a separation of its food assets as the consumer goods maker plans to streamline its business, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Potential Sale of Historic British Brands
Late last year, Reuters had reported, citing sources, that the company was considering selling historic British brands including Marmite, Colman's and Bovril to focus on beauty and wellbeing.
Market Challenges Facing Food Companies
Food companies have been struggling with weak demand as budget conscious consumers are cutting back on spending and opting for cheaper store brands as well as fast adoption of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs also curb overall consumption.
Unilever's Ongoing Discussions and Options
- Unilever is in talks with advisers to study options that include spinning off most or all of the food businesses or retaining some of the flagship brands while separating the rest, the Bloomberg report said.
- Any move is not expected before 2027 and the company may still decide to retain its current structure, according to the report.
- The deal would likely value the Unilever food business at tens of billions of dollars, the report said.
Leadership and Strategic Direction
- Selling Marmite, Colman's and Bovril would be one of Unilever's most significant disposals since Fernando Fernandez became CEO in February 2025 with a mandate to speed up its turnaround strategy.
- Unilever declined to comment, when contacted by Reuters.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Sanskriti Shekhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Key Takeaways
- •Unilever is in early-stage discussions to separate its food assets to simplify its portfolio and sharpen strategic focus, per Bloomberg via Reuters. (bloomberg.com)
- •This potential move builds on prior major restructurings, notably the planned demerger of its ice cream unit (The Magnum Ice Cream Company), completed in December 2025. (unilever.com)
- •Analysts note the company has already exited over €1 billion in food brands and implemented cost-saving measures, signifying a consistent shift away from slower‑growing food categories to higher‑margin areas. (bloomberg.com)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Unilever considers separation of its food assets, Bloomberg News reports
1What is Unilever considering regarding its food assets?
Unilever is in the early stages of weighing a separation of its food assets as part of efforts to streamline its business.
2Why is Unilever planning to separate its food assets?
The potential separation is part of Unilever's strategy to streamline its overall business.
3Who reported Unilever's consideration of food asset separation?
Bloomberg News reported on Unilever's consideration, citing sources familiar with the matter.
4Is the separation of Unilever's food assets confirmed?
No, the process is still in early stages and no final decision has been made.