Unilever and its peers think consumers will come back to their favourite brands. What if they don’t?

Expect price rises to continue on everything from Marmite to Magnums, writes James Moore

Pricey stuff but there are alternatives (PA)

Unilever has been taking all sorts of flack from its shareholders in recent times. The outgoing Alan Jope has become something of a bogeyman for investors in the producer of everything from Marmite to Magnums, Dove to Domestos.

The attempt to pull off a mega-merger with GSK’s consumer health division – which now has a London listing of its own as Haleon – was widely panned. A bigger problem has been that of simple execution. Unilever’s margins have lagged those of its peers (Procter and Gamble, Nestle etc) and its share price has languished on the sale rail as a result.

This had drawn the attention of activist investors like Nelson Peltz, who acquired for himself a seat on the board. Peltz is a busy boy indeed. He’s also been badgering Disney.