Unilever : The Heart Of Everything We Do

"Our goal is to be a retailer with the ability to see opportunity on the horizon and have a clear path for capitalizing on it. To do so, we are moving faster than ever before, employing more technology and concentrating our resources on those elements most important to our core customers."

We believe our mission is to enrich lives. That begins with every life we encounter: Our employees, our patients and those who love and care for them, the communities in which we operate, our stakeholders and those who are yet to become our customers.

We own keeping it fresh and new for our customers every minute of the day. We recognize that people are the lifeblood of our business. Our team thrives in an inclusive environment where we continuously inspire each other to create, grow, and stretch beyond what we ever thought we could do. It allows us to balance fun with business and to deliver exceptional results to our customers.”

We pride ourselves in helping our clients and employees go from where they are to where they want to be each day. Our core values reflect who we are:

We are seeking to make the best use of our opportunities, by attracting and preserving the best in the business to develop a culture illustrated by –among other things – speed, determination and teamwork. In our sincerest appreciation for our investors who stood with us through the hard times, thank you.

Unilever, founded in 1929, is an Anglo–Dutch multinational consumer goods company. Its headquarters are in London, England and in Rotterdam, Netherlands as well. It is the world's third-largest consumer goods company as of 2012. It is also one of the oldest multinational companies in the world, its products include food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. And these products are available in 190 countries.

“Our deepest purpose as an organization is helping support the health, well-being, and healing of both people — customers, Team Members, and business organizations in general — and the planet.”

Unilever is a world renowned company, which was created in 1930 through the merger of margarine Unie, a Dutch margarine company and British-based Lever Bothers, soap and detergent company.

Unlike glass, humans are antifragile; we cannot grow unless we are “shaken up,“ and forced to overcome the various challenges we face in life. Belvedere’s core principles show that this company understands that to bring out the best in someone, you need to challenge them, but doing so in a way that is productive and brings out the best in them. It is truly innovative for a company to value these ideologies, and I would love to have the opportunity to use my skills to help add value to the company, and grow throughout the process.

In 2000, Unilever decided to reduce 1,600 brands down to 400 and then select a small number of them to serve as “Masterbrands”. One of the reasons to have fewer brands is to decrease control issues. It is harder to manage so many brands, especially when each one has its own particularities. As Deighton pointed, Unilever’s brand portfolio had grown in a relatively laissez-faire manner. In other words, the company’s brands were created without large interference.

The Unilever Group’s report on ice cream stated that they saw volume growth and share gains in most markets. Specifically they saw a strong performance in Western Europe, Mexico, Indonesia and Australia. Much of this growth was due to the Magnum Gold acquisition and the marketing of this product in these markets. Product quality improvements helped their Klondike line achieve strong results in the U.S.A. The Unilever Group maintained a negative price growth in ice cream. The negative price growth reflected slightly lower gross margins, at constant currency, with commodity costs higher.

This presentation may contain forward-looking statements, including ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Group. They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Further details of potential risks

There are many pros to this offer. Unilever is the largest ice cream producer in the world and like Dreyer’s, already has an extensive distribution network and extensive knowledge of the market. With an offer of $36 (cash), Unilever had by far the best looking offer on paper. They also have a market capitalization of $18 billion and can provide the financial backing that Ben & Jerry’s needs. On the other hand, there are a large number of cons and a huge amount of risk. B & J would have to give up a great deal and essentially “sell its soul” if it were to accept this offer. Unilever has no intention of keeping with B & J’s corporate vision and practices of social responsibility which made B & J a household name in the first place. Unilever is a much larger and more diversified corporation than the others and simply won’t be able to put in the “t.l.c” into the product that Ben & Jerry’s has built their reputation around. As a result, brand loyalty will drop significantly as will B & J’s value. If Unilever were to adhere to B & J’s social charter this would be a much more attractive offer.

"Everything we do is inspired by our enduring mission: * To Refresh the World... in body, mind, and spirit. * To Inspire Moments of Optimism... through our brands and our actions. * To Create Value and Make a Difference... everywhere we engage."

This helps product development as internal chefs can freely do experiments and explore new food solutions