McCormick moves to take control of Unilever Pakistan Foods in $45B global deal
What's the deal? McCormick & CompanyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the US-based food and flavourings maker, has announced plans to acquire at least 76.55% of Unilever Pakistan Foods and take control of the listed company. The offer, dated October 21, was filed through Arif Habib Limited.
The details: McCormick intends to buy 4,876,294 shares — representing 76.55% of the company — through an agreement, with a subsequent public offer to follow. Unilever Pakistan Foods closed at Rs25,352 per share the day before the announcement.
Why now? The move is the local step in a much larger transaction agreed between McCormick and Unilever PLC on March 31. Under that deal, McCormick plans to take sole control of substantially all of Unilever's global food business — a combination valued at about $44.8 billion.
What's the endgame? The transaction brings together brands including KnorrDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Hellmann's, French's, and CholulaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and is expected to create a group with nearly $20 billion in annual revenue. McCormick, founded in 1889 and based in Maryland, already supplies the food and beverage industry in roughly 150 countries.
What could go wrong? The Pakistani offer requires regulatory clearance, including from the Competition Commission of Pakistan. The announcement may be withdrawn if the approvals are not granted; the global deal is targeted to close by mid-2027 and still needs sign-off.
The signal: For now, this is a change in control of a major listed Pakistani food company rather than a shift in its products or operations. But it ties a local market into one of the sector's largest global consolidations, consolidating Unilever's food brands under a single new owner.
Read more: propakistani.pk
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
