Question

Was it a good choice to sell Ben and Jerry's to Unilever? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Ben & Jerry's- It was founded in May 1978 by Ben Cohen & Jerry Green field. They are into ice cream and frozen yogurt business. They have about 450 shops but most of the ice creams are sold in supermarkets and convenience stores. It has several shops in outside the USA also. Ben & Jerry's is famous to deliver quality ice cream with different flavors and by taking into consideration the social principles.

Acquisition by Unilever- It was acquired by Unilever in the year 2000. Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's for $326 Million. Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's to provide super premium ice creams to its customers. Unilever wanted to strength its ice cream portfolio. Unilever benefited from this deal. Unilever committed 7.5% Ben & Jerry's profit to a foundation and agreed not to reduce any job and alter the method of making ice creams. Unilever has also agreed on social mission process of Ben & Jerry's. It is a win-win situation for both the companies. Unilever said that it would use its distribution network to develop the brand in other markets too. The deal was beneficial for both Unilever and Ben & Jerry's. Ben & Jerry's values remain the same even after taken over.