Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (pictured) as well as several other ice cream brands, announced Tuesday that it is separating its ice cream division from the rest of the company. The company also announced that it will lay off 7,500 employees, too. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Unilever will cut about 7,500 jobs as the company seeks to separate its ice cream division from the rest of its products.
“The proposed changes are expecting to impact around 7,500 predominantly office-based roles globally” the company said in a statement posted to its website Tuesday. Advertisement
The British-based multinational company says separating the ice cream division will allow for a more flexibility.
“The separation of ice cream and the delivery of the productivity program will help create a simpler, more focused, and higher performing Unilever,” said Unilever Chair Ian Meakins.
Unilever owns the ice cream brands Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers and Klondike.
“The Unilever Board is confident that the future growth potential of ice cream will be better delivered under different ownership structure,” the company said.
The company says a “demerger” is the most likely path to separate the ice cream division from the rest of the company, “with full separation expected by the end of 2025.”
In 2022, Unilever announced that it would cut 1,500 management jobs after the company’s stock dropped by 10% in 2021.
