Ice cream headache
Global conglomerate Unilever is believed to be considering options to offload its ice cream business to private equity. Could this be a sweet acquisition opportunity or an ‘ice cream headache’? It’s early days but if Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan have gone out to market to whip up potential interest for the business division that includes Ben & Jerry’s, Wall’s and Magnum. The decision for the spin-off is part of the consumer goods empire’s turnaround plans, and would lead to 7,500 job cuts. Time will tell if the conglomerate decides to pull the lever. For now, it is an opportunity for PE firms to start investigating the merits of such an acquisition and embrace their inner ‘Magnum P.I.”.