Restructuring Unilever: The 'Path To Growth' Strategy

The plan involved cutting down on its unwieldy portfolio of 1,600 brands and focusing on the top 400 brands. This move was read by the market as an indication that the company was unable to manage its brands and so was scaling back growth plans. This development, coupled with the fact that the growing popularity of Internet and telecom stocks was luring investors away from old economy stocks, resulted in Unilever finding itself in deep trouble - its stock price plummeted rapidly during 1999. According to reports, Unilever's market capitalization of about £51 billion ($82 billion) in June 1999 shrank by almost £20 billion by January 2000. As a result, the company lagged far behind its competitors like Nestle and Procter & Gamble (P&G) in market capitalization.

Meanwhile, the competitors had begun eating into Unilever's market share in a major way. Unilever realized that it had to restructure its brand portfolio and operations to meet the challenges brought about by the changing market conditions. In February 2000, the company announced a €5 billion five-year growth strategy, aimed at bringing about a significant improvement in its performance. The initiative was named the 'Path to Growth' Strategy (PGS). The exercise involved a comprehensive restructuring of operations and businesses. While many industry observers welcomed the move, some were skeptical about the slow-moving old economy giant's ability to regain its momentum in time to meet the intensifying competition.