Will Horlicks infuse Unilever with youthful energy or induce a slumber?

Despite headwinds, tying GSK's still-potent brand to Unilever's peerless local distribution network seems like the best way to secure the future of this business

Unilever NV is buying India's top drink from GlaxoSmithKline Plc. Let's hope the global consumer giant didn’t pay too much. 

GSK has entered into exclusive negotiations to sell its nutrition business to Unilever, according to the Financial Times. That includes Horlicks, a malted milk drink seen as a staple for the children of upwardly mobile families in India. What the Anglo-Dutch giant has offered is unclear, but GSK's Bombay Stock Exchange-listed business GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd., in which it has a 72.5 per cent stake, has a market value of $4.2 billion. GlaxoSmithKline Bangladesh Ltd., which the Financial Times said would