Unilever ‘sensitive’ to HQ move concerns

UNILEVER’S boss has said that the company is “sensitive” to shareholders’ concerns about it dropping out of the FTSE 100 index when it moves its headquarters to Rotterdam, but shirked responsibility for the upheaval ahead of a vote in October.

Paul Polman responded to accusations the consumer goods maker had been “belligerently unreceptive” to investor concerns about the planned HQ move, which it has said will make it “extremely unlikely to be included in FTSE UK series”.

Mr Polman said: “Obviously we have to be sensitive to everybody’s concerns.”

While the company’s shares will continue to trade in London, the change will mean that investors in funds that track the FTSE 100 may be forced to ditch the stock.

Mr Polman said that it was the FTSE’S decision whether to include the company in its series of indices. Shareholders in the Netherlands and the UK will vote on the headquarters move on Oct 25 and 26 respectively.

Unilever posted pre-tax profits for the first half of the year of €4.3bn (£3.8bn), down from €4.6bn last year.

Sales in the first half were slightly below analyst expectations, with turnover down 5pc on the same period last year at €26.4bn. But stripping out the spreads business, which has been sold to KKR, turnover was €24.9bn, down 4.8pc.

The shares rose 3.0pc to close at £43.31.