Unilever officially became the owner of Betty Ice, but with certain conditions | Progresiv
Unilever completed the acquisition of Betty Ice, the Competition Council approving the transaction on the basis of voluntary commitments by the Anglo-Dutch giant. Thus, Unilever will withdraw between 3,000 and 5,000 refrigerated display cabinets in the Unilever or Betty Ice partners' area of traditional trade, the measure being maintained for the 2019 and 2020 ice cream seasons. 
The producer estimates that the number of refrigerated displays proposed for withdrawal will result in a reduction in the combined market share in the segment of impulse ice cream sold through the traditional channel of 3-8%, reducing the value market share around the 40% threshold, as calculated by the Competition Council and reported at the level of 2017.
The ice cream division of Unilever Romania and Betty Ice will work together, combining Unilever's vision and global capabilities with Betty Ice's local expertise and know-how. The goal is to build a better business capable of providing the Romanian consumer with a product portfolio that meets the expectations of each segment in terms of both price and taste. Vasile Armenean, founder of Betty Ice, will continue to lead this business as General Manager of the company.
"The acquisition is over and we are glad to welcome the Betty Ice brand to our family. The changes we have agreed upon with the Competition Council will have an impact on our business, but our mission is to serve our customers, so we will respect the decision and focus on our sustainable growth plan. Joining our teams is part of our goal of providing the best quality ice cream to every Romanian", said James Simmons, Managing Director of Unilever South Central Europe.
The financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed, based on a common agreement.
Betty Ice company was founded in 1994 by Romanian entrepreneur Vasile Armenean. Betty Ice is the most important local ice cream producer in Romania with a total turnover of 30 million euros. The company owns a factory in Suceava and has over 180 ice cream kiosks open during the summer.
Unilever, one of the global leaders in the ice cream market, has been operating on the Romanian market since 2009 under the Algida brand. Among the ice cream brands under the Algida umbrella are Napoca, Cornetto, Carte D'Or, Magnum and Twister.
