COLD DECISIONS

Unilever plans to separate its ice cream business to jump-start growth. The development will be keenly watched in India, where the FMCG giant faces stiff competition from market leader Amul 

- KRISHNA GOPALAN

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED’S (HUL) tryst with the ice cream industry began in the early 1990s. In 1993, it bought the brand Dollops from then Cadbury India. That was soon followed by the acquisition of Kwality Wall’s from the Lamba family. Apart from Wall’s, it also acquired brands like Yankee Doodle, Sub-Zero, and Gaylord. The last piece in the first chapter of the ice cream puzzle was when Milkfood was picked up from Jagatjit Industries in 1994. Not surprisingly, all these brands eventually made way for Wall’s.