Dive Brief:
- Nestle CEO Paul Bulcke told investors on Tuesday that the company had put together lists of business units, deciding which cannot be fixed and which are potentially salvageable.
- Bulcke confirmed that divestitures are going to occur and "action will come" as Nestle manages its portfolio.
- Bulcke's statements confirmed reports from August that the company might be looking to get rid of under-performing candidates in its portfolio of more than 8,000 brands.
Dive Insight:
Bulcke's words say it all: "We want to be in business, not in agony."
The PowerBar brand is among those that could be up for sale, along with Lean Cuisine and others. Just because some of these properties aren't meeting Nestle's expectations, don't think that buyers won't be interested. PoweBar, for instance, still ranks third among nutrition bars for U.S. adults. That business unit alone could potentially sell for hundreds of millions of dollars.