Fast Company Innovation Festival Ticket Giveaway—Enter now! LOGIN SUBSCRIBE | FastCo Works "Last year, we had a massive (market) share step up,†ter Kulve said. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter.Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | advertisement BYÂ Reuters Listen to this ArticleMore info 0:00 / 0:00 Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve dismissed any talk of selling Ben & Jerry's on Wednesday and said he was focused on reclaiming market share and growing sales as the spin-off of ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve dismissed any talk of selling Ben & Jerry's on Wednesday and said he was focused on reclaiming market share and growing sales as the spin-off of the new Magnum Ice Cream Company from Unilever (UL) approaches. Unilever expects the ice cream business, which includes brands such as Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Wall's and Cornetto, to command just over a fifth of the around $88 billion global ice cream market and compete with rivals such as Nestle-backed Froneri. Magnu ...

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article highlights Unilever's strong second-quarter sales growth driven by robust demand in North America and Europe, exceeding market expectations while maintaining its full-year sales forecast [1] - For the three months ending June 30, Unilever reported a 3.8% growth in underlying sales, surpassing analysts' expectations of 3.6% [1] - The company achieved an underlying operating profit of €5.8 billion for the first half of the year, slightly above the market expectation of €5.7 billion [1] Group 2 - Unilever has undertaken several organizational and operational changes over the past year to address poor performance and improve profit margins, including plans to spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry's and Magnum, layoffs, and the dismissal of former CEO Hein Schumacher in February [1] - The ice cream business, named The Magnum Ice Cream Company, is set to be spun off in mid-November [1] - CEO Fernando Fernandez stated that the company's priorities moving forward are clear: focusing more on beauty, health, and personal care; disproportionate investments in the U.S. and India; and increased attention to premium segments and digital commerce [1] Group 3 - Despite maintaining its sales forecast for 2025 and emphasizing growth areas, Unilever's free cash flow decreased by 50% from €2.2 billion in the same period last year to €1.1 billion in the first half of this year, raising concerns about financial pressures related to supply chain changes, tariff uncertainties, and costs associated with the ice cream business spin-off [1] - The company anticipates growth in the second half of the year, with resilient markets in North America and Europe, and improvements expected in India, China, and Indonesia [2] - Unilever previously indicated that the impact of U.S. tariffs is expected to be limited and manageable [2]

H1 2025 Performance - Unilever's H1 2025 underlying sales growth (USG) was 3.4%, driven by 1.5% underlying volume growth (UVG) and 1.9% underlying price growth (UPG)[10] - Power Brands' Q2 2025 USG improved to 4.4%, with 2.1% UVG and 2.3% UPG[12] - The company's turnover decreased by 3.2% year-over-year, from €31.1 billion in H1 2024 to €30.1 billion in H1 2025, impacted by net disposals and adverse currency effects[48] Segment Performance - North America achieved 5.4% USG in H1 2025, representing 23% of Group turnover[13] - Europe saw 3.4% USG in H1 2025, with 3.7% UVG and 1.6% UPG, accounting for 21% of Group turnover[15, 16] - Asia Pacific Africa (APA) experienced 3.5% USG in H1 2025, while Latin America had 0.5% USG[19] - Beauty & Wellbeing segment achieved 3.7% USG in H1 2025, with a €6.5 billion turnover[21, 22] - Dove's H1 2025 USG was 4.8%, driven by 3.3% UPG and 1.4% UVG[26] Strategic Initiatives - The Ice Cream business demerger is on track for mid-November, with Unilever retaining less than 20% stake in TMICC[8, 45] - Post demerger, based on FY 2024 financials, Unilever expects approximately €52 billion turnover, +160 bps GM, +100 bps UOM, +100 bps ROIC, ~100% cash conversion, and ~2x expected leverage[70] Financial Outlook - The company is on track to deliver its full-year 2025 outlook, including an improvement in FY underlying operating margin and USG within the 3-5% range[62, 63] - The company expects second half margins of at least 18.5%[63] - The company completed €1.5 billion share buyback in H1 2025[61]

Q1 2025 Performance Highlights - Unilever Power Brands achieved 3.0% underlying sales growth (USG), driven by 1.3% underlying volume growth (UVG) and 1.7% underlying price growth (UPG)[9] - Beauty & Wellbeing turnover reached €3.3 billion, with 4.1% USG, comprising 1.5% UVG and 2.5% UPG[15, 16] - Personal Care reported 5.1% USG, with 2.4% UVG and 2.7% UPG, fueled by strong Dove performance[21] - Home Care experienced 1.0% USG, with flat UVG and 0.9% UPG, impacted by destocking in Brazil and business resets in China & Indonesia[24] - Foods saw a 1.6% USG, with (1.1)% UVG and 2.7% UPG, affected by a decline in Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) China due to the timing of Chinese New Year[28] - Ice Cream achieved 1.8% USG, with (0.5)% UVG and 2.2% UPG, driven by innovation and operational improvements[30] Regional Performance - North America showed 6.2% USG, with 4.0% UVG and 2.1% UPG, representing 22% of Group turnover[34] - Europe reported 3.2% USG, with 3.0% UVG and 0.2% UPG, accounting for 20% of Group turnover[34] - Latin America experienced 1.5% USG, with (3.0)% UVG and 4.6% UPG, representing 14% of Group turnover[34] - Asia Pacific Africa achieved 2.0% USG, with 0.6% UVG and 1.3% UPG, accounting for 44% of Group turnover[34] Financial Outlook and Strategic Initiatives - Q1 2025 turnover was €14.8 billion, a (0.9)% decrease including a (2.7)% impact from net disposals[36] - Unilever reconfirmed its full-year 2025 financial outlook, projecting underlying sales growth within the 3-5% range and modest improvement in underlying operating margin[39, 40] - The separation of the Ice Cream business is on track to be completed by the end of 2025, with operational separation by July 1st and reporting as a discontinued operation from Q4[37, 38]