Unilever is hoping for a good hair day September 27, 2010 Unilever yesterday announced it will buy US hair and skin care specialist Alberto Culver in a deal worth $3.7bn (£2.34bn). The acquisition of the firm behind household names such as V05 and TRESemme marks the single biggest Unilever acquisition in almost a decade. The new brands will complement Unilever’s existing portfolio, which includes Dove, Clear [...]
WPP buys Vietnamese agency March 22, 2011 WPP yesterday announced the acquisition of Vietnamese digital agency Who Digital. The world’s biggest advertising agency plans to form a joint venture in the country with OgilvyOne, in which it will take a majority stake. Who Digital, which has assets of around £400,000, has clients including Unilever, Megastar, HSBC, Baoviet and Sony Ericsson. The acquisition [...]
Dr Pepper and Unilever warned by FDA September 7, 2010 THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday warned beverage makers Dr Pepper Snapple and Unilever about making improper statements regarding green tea on product labels and web sites. In a letter dated 30 August and released yesterday, the regulator said Dr Pepper’s Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale was misbranded because the product [...]
Unilever in £2.3bn deal for US hair care group September 27, 2010 Consumer goods giant Unilever has agreed to buy United States based hair care group Alberto Culver Co for $3.7bn (£2.3bn) in cash. The Anglo Dutch group’s acquisition will add brands such as V05, TRESemme and Nexxus, and make Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo, and the third largest [...]
Unilever in £2.3bn deal for US hair care group September 27, 2010 Consumer goods giant Unilever has agreed to buy United States based hair care group Alberto Culver Co for $3.7bn (£2.3bn) in cash. The Anglo Dutch group’s acquisition will add brands such as V05, TRESemme and Nexxus, and make Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo, and the third largest [...]
HSBC drags FTSE back as investors eye inflation forecasts May 11, 2011 Banking giant HSBC sapped some of the confidence from the blue chip index today as it announced that it was aiming to slash costs by £2.1bn. The news followed a bruising start to the week for banks who have already earmarked billions for potential payouts over dubious insurance protection sales. HSBC fell 1.3 per cent [...]
Earnings successes still marred by inflation May 2, 2011 THE past week has seen global equity markets, especially in the US, boosted by better than expected corporate earnings. Investors moved further back into equities, betting once again that sovereign debt, nuclear troubles in Japan and higher commodity prices won’t turn out to be sufficient headwinds to blow corporates off course. In Britain, the impact [...]
FTSE led lower as Smiths Group and banks fall despite gains by Unilever September 27, 2010 THE FTSE 100 closed down 25.06 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 5,573.42, after gaining 1.6 per cent last week, with Smiths Group out of favour while Unilever rose after a US acquisition. Broker recommendation and target price changes were behind some of the individual equity moves. Smiths shed 1.6 per cent after Bank of [...]
EU objects to Unilever purchase August 19, 2010 The EU could scupper Unilever’s purchase of parts of Sara Lee’s European business, after its anti-trust agency filed a formal objection to the €1.3bn (£1.07bn) acquisition yesterday. The company said yesterday it hopes to come to a “positive agreement” by the end of the year, allowing the takeover of Sara Lee’s shower-gel and detergent businesses. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 22, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BAIN PULLS OUT OF RAC AUCTION Bain Capital has pulled out of the bidding for RAC, the roadside rescue business of UK insurer Aviva. The US private equity group last week dropped out of the auction after bidding less than its rivals, people close to the situation said. That leaves Carlyle, Clayton Dubilier [...]