Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 23, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUnilever's ice cream business demerger could happen by December if the SEC grants automatic approval amid a U.S. government shutdown.
LONDON (Reuters) -Unilever CFO Srinivas Phatak said on Thursday the demerger of the group's ice cream business could happen in early December if The Magnum Ice Cream Company listing gains automatic SEC approval following the publication of its prospectus next month.
Unilever is delaying the ice cream spin-off due to the U.S. government shutdown and Phatak said that in the unlikely event that lasts for another month, a new SEC rule allowing companies statements' to become effective automatically could be triggered.
"There is a window available in the unlikely event that over the next one month, the SEC doesn't return because of the U.S. government shutdown," Phatak said. "Then the alternate route of an automatic approval could kick in. It is not the default option."
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow in London and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan Fenton)
A demerger is a corporate restructuring process where a company splits off a part of its business into a new independent entity, allowing it to operate separately.
A prospectus is a formal legal document that provides details about an investment offering to the public, including information about the company and the risks involved.
Automatic approval refers to a regulatory process where certain filings or applications are approved without the need for explicit consent from the regulatory body, under specific conditions.
Corporate strategy is a plan that outlines how a company will achieve its goals and objectives, focusing on resource allocation, competitive positioning, and overall direction.
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