Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Axios
Axios
Business
Dan Primack

Changing consumer tastes is causing Unilever to consider selling its tea brands like Lipton

Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Unilever (LSE: UL) is considering a sale of its tea business, which generates annual sales of around €3 billion and includes the Lipton and PG Tips brands.

Why it matters: Tea, and black tea in particular, has become the latest victim of changing consumer tastes.


  • History: Unilever has owned Lipton since 1971 and became a leader in tea-crazed Great Britain 13 years later by purchasing Brooke Bond.
  • The bottom line: "Unilever executives said the tea business was a similar size, and had comparable geographic reach, to the spreads division it sold for about $8 billion in 2018. The company hopes the tea business will draw interest from other tea makers looking to cut costs in what is a highly fragmented market." — Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ

Go deeper: Fake meat may have some real problems

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.