FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A German union said cost cuts at Unilever (UNc.AS) (ULVR.L) could lead to up to 1,000 job cuts and possibly the closure of some of its eight factories in Germany.
“The plants in Auerbach, Stavenhagen and Heilbronn are under review,” Michaela Rosenberger, head of food industry union NGG, said in a statement on Monday.
According to NGG, around 5,000 of Unilever’s 168,000 employees work at 11 sites in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, making, among other products, Knorr instant soup, Magnum ice cream and Rama margarine.
Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, said in April it would speed up cost savings and sell its shrinking margarines business after February’s $143 billion takeover offer from Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) jolted it into a corporate makeover aimed at proving it can go it alone.
A spokesman for Unilever said it was true the company planned to review its food plants in Germany, excluding those making margarine, but said the outcome of the review was open.
“Any statements on job cuts and plant closures are total speculation,” he said.
According to the union, a meeting of staff in Germany has been called for Tuesday.
Reporting by Maria Sheahan, editing by David Evans
Source: Reuters
Danone has appointed three deputy CEOs to “better connect categories and regions” and drive the delivery of its ‘Renew Danone’ strategy. The new appointees are Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, Shane Grant and Juergen Esser. They will report to Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
PepsiCo Portugal has announced that it will invest €7.5 million to construct a new biodigester, which will turn organic waste into biogas. As well as helping its Carregado facility to achieve a 30% reduction in carbon emissions, the biodigester will also contribute to reducing gas consumption, allowing the installation to use the biogas produced during the anaerobic digestion process.
Kerry is sponsoring The Kerry Upcycled Food Foundation Fellowship in a new partnership with the Upcycled Food Foundation (UFF), the non-profit subsidiary of the Upcycled Food Association (UFA). The research fellowship is the second initiated by the UFF and will work toward advancing the understanding of the market, consumer perception and technical opportunities of upcycled food.