Unilever to Cut 8,000 More Jobs, Close 30 Plants

Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever said it will slash 8,000 more jobs and close 30 plants as it integrates recently acquired Bestfoods into its operations. In addition, Unilever, the company behind such household names as Dove soap, Lipton tea, Vaseline and Pepsodent, reported a 4% decline in first-quarter operating profit to about $625 million, slightly better than analysts’ forecasts. Revenue rose 20% to $17.6 billion. The job losses will be at Bestfoods production sites in North America, Latin America and, to a lesser extent, in Europe, a Unilever spokesman said. He declined to give specific locations for the factories slated for closure. The 8,000 jobs are in addition to 25,000 jobs the firm said in February that it will cut over five years to recover from a slump in profit.