Unilever has decided to “integrate” UK snack business Graze into its wider operations, moves that will lead to the loss of dozens of jobs.
The FMCG giant acquired the holding company behind Graze five years ago.
Since then, Graze has “operated independently with its own teams, systems and supply chain”, a Unilever spokesperson said.
The Marmite owner has decided to “bring the Graze brand fully” into its wider portfolio of food brands, which also includes Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Colman’s mustard.
Out of the snack maker’s “approximately 90” office-based roles, “fewer than 60” positions are likely to be impacted, Unilever said.
The spokesperson said: “A number of roles are impacted due to this integration but at this stage, consultation is still ongoing.
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“We know that this will be an unsettling time for everyone at Graze, and we are fully committed to providing our teams with support and clarity as we consult with our employees over the coming months.”
The spokesperson added: “As Graze has seen continued strong growth from the grocery channel, the time is now right to bring the Graze brand fully into Unilever’s nutrition portfolio of brands … so that we can continue to accelerate this growth.”
Graze is a producer of sweet and savoury better-for-you snack products such as oat bars, flapjacks, corn and nuts.
Earlier this year, Little Moons, the UK-based mochi dough ice-cream business, appointed Graze snacks and Unilever executive Joanna Allen as its CEO.
Allen, who served as CEO of Graze since the summer of 2020, is set to take the helm at Little Moons on 3 June.
In March, Unilever set out plans to separate its ice cream business from the company.
Unilever said the demerger would make the group “a standalone, more focused business”, that will have more “operational and financial flexibility”.
The Ben & Jerry’s manufacturer, which is the world’s largest producer of ice cream, said demerging the assets into a listed company was “the most likely separation route”.
Last week, Unilever was reported to be set to keep making ice cream in Russia after the planned demerger.
