HUL goes back to the core to focus on goal; may cut jobs too

Set to overhaul business, rationalise costs in a bid to reach parent Unilever's new profit targets

The country’s largest consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is expected to take a multi-pronged approach to parent Unilever’s mandate to boost profitability and shareholder returns. This includes aggressively pruning costs as well as rationalising its workforce as it looks to implement the parent’s target of being a leaner and fitter organisation in the days to come.

Last week, the world’s second-largest consumer goods company said it would combine two of its main business units, namely, food and refreshment, divest its spreads business, buy back shares worth ^5 billion, raise dividends to 12 per cent and target a 20 per cent