U.K. SHAREHOLDERS CLEAR UNILEVER HQ CONSOLIDATION

Shareholders in the U.K. arm of Unilever voted overwhelmingly in favour of unifying the company's headquarters in the U.K., moving the Dove soap maker's plan to end dual nationality a step closer to completion. More than 99 per cent of investors in the British entity voted in favour of the move at a shareholder meeting Monday, matching an earlier approval rate by Dutch investors. The decision advances a plan to streamline a cumbersome structure that has complicated major takeovers and disposals. The company has maintained twin bases since the 1930 merger of Margarine Unie of the Netherlands and U.K. soapmaker Lever Brothers. It began moving to unwind that structure after an unsolicited takeover approach from Kraft Heinz Co. Bloomberg