The food and household chemical and detergent group Unilever gives up its double British-Dutch structure and becomes completely British on paper. This step should offer the company behind brands such as Zwitsal, Dove and Knorr more flexibility. The announcement follows an extensive year and a half study into options to simplify the corporate structure.
Two years ago, Unilever chose to become a Dutch company in an attempt to simplify its corporate structure. British shareholders, however, rebelled against this, partly because they then had to pay tax on the dividend that the company pays. In the run-up to the previous decision, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom had lobbied extensively to persuade Unilever to choose their country. Don’t bet against Britain!
