联合利华出售Ragu和佰多力品牌

    联合利华公司（Unilever）上周四宣布，同意以21.5亿美元向日本的味滋康集团（Mizkan Group）出售旗下的Ragu和佰多力（Bertolli）品牌。

    联合利华公司是多芬（Dove）和凡士林（Vaseline）等美容品牌的制造商。它至少从今年四月以来就一直在寻求出售北美的意大利面酱业务，当时这家公司进行了一项战略审查来重新调整旗下食品资产的重心。

    “这笔交易代表了我们重塑自身的北美资产、从而提供可持续增长的最终步骤之一，” 联合利华公司北美区总裁基斯•克鲁特霍夫在一份声明中称。“（这笔出售交易）使我们能够更好地聚焦于食品业务。”

    这家拥有英国和荷兰双重国家背景的消费品公司在去年出售了旗下的Wish-Bone沙拉酱和Skippy花生酱品牌，而且据报道一直在寻求出售旗下的Slim Fast业务。它保留了公司其他的一些食品业务，包括立顿（Lipton）和本杰里（Ben & Jerry）冰淇淋。联合利华公司将保有Ragu和佰多力在欧洲的销售权。

    Ragu和佰多力是美国销量领先的意大利面酱，两个品牌的年销售额总计超过6亿美元。这次出售的还包括位于肯塔基州欧文斯伯勒的一家加工及包装厂，以及位于加利福尼亚州斯托克顿的一家番茄加工厂。

    本次收购将帮助历史已经长达210年的调味品和调味料制造商味滋康集团继续在日本以外市场的扩张。味滋康集团去年收购了英国食品品牌Sarson's、Haywards和Dufrais，还在2011年收购了美国的一家墨西哥胡椒加工厂Border Foods。(财富中文网)

    译者：skins

    Unilever agreed to sell its Ragu and Bertolli brands for about $2.15 billion to Japan-based Mizkan Group, the company announced Thursday.

    Unilever, the maker of beauty brands such as Dove and Vaseline, has been looking to sell its North American pasta sauce business since at least April when the company conducted a strategic review that re-focused its food assets.

    "This sale represents one of the final steps in reshaping our portfolio in North America to deliver sustainable growth," Kees Kruythoff, president of Unilever North America, said in a statement. "And [the sale] enables us to sharpen our focus within our foods business."

    The British-Dutch consumer products company sold its Wish-Bone salad dressing and Skippy peanut butter brands last year and has reportedly been looking to divest its Slim Fast business, as well. It has held onto some of its other food businesses, including Lipton and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Unilever will maintain the sales rights to Ragu and Bertolli in Europe.

    Ragu and Bertolli lead the pasta sauce category in the U.S., and the two brands have annual sales of more than $600 million. The sale also includes a sauce processing and packaging facility in Owensboro, Ky., and a tomato processing facility in Stockton, Calif.

    The purchase will help Mizkan, the 210-year-old maker of condiments and seasonings, continue its expansion beyond the Japanese market. Mizkan bought British food brands Sarson's, Haywards and Dufrais last year and U.S.-based Border Foods, a processor of jalapenos, in 2011.