茶園工人的煩惱和擔憂——聯(lián)合利華資產(chǎn)剝離事件

作者:Dan Bolton

譯者:于英杰

全球最大的茶葉供應(yīng)商宣布剝離其茶葉資產(chǎn),這使得該公司全資擁有的茶園和數(shù)百個合作中的小茶場面臨不確定的命運。

The announced divestiture of tea holdings by the world’s largest tea supplier makes uncertain the fate of the company’s wholly owned tea gardens and hundreds of smaller gardens under contract.

總部位于倫敦的聯(lián)合利華(Unilever)在1月份進行了戰(zhàn)略審查,并于7月表示將拆分其茶葉業(yè)務(wù),僅保留瓶裝茶飲的合作伙伴關(guān)系,同時繼續(xù)在印度和印度尼西亞開展業(yè)務(wù)。公司其余的茶葉資產(chǎn),包括幾個茶園,將通過拍賣進行出售。

In July, following a strategic review begun in January, London-based Unilever said it will break up its tea business, retaining only bottling partnerships while continuing operations in India and Indonesia. The rest of the company’s tea assets, including several tea estates, will be sold at auction.

聯(lián)合利華購買了全球10%的茶葉,在21個國家和地區(qū)雇用了超過100萬名工人。該公司目前銷售的品牌包括Lipton(立頓),PG Tips,Brooke Bond,Pure Leaf,TAZO,Bushells,T2(零售店),以及在150多個國家和地區(qū)銷售的其它21個較小的品牌。立頓黃標是世界上最暢銷的茶品牌,占全球紅茶銷量的7%。與亞洲品牌相比,綠茶的銷售額微不足道。巴克萊銀行(Barclays)金融分析師稱,聯(lián)合利華的茶葉業(yè)務(wù)估值為為40-50億美元。

Unilever purchases 10% of the world’s tea, employing more than one million workers in 21 countries. Brands currently marketed by the company include Lipton, PG Tips, Brooke Bond, Pure Leaf, TAZO, Bushells, T2 (retail shops), and 21 smaller brands sold in more than 150 countries. Lipton Yellow Label, the world’s best-selling tea brand, accounts for 7% of black tea sales globally. Sales of green tea are insignificant when compared to Asia brands. The tea division is valued at $4-$5 billion, according to financial analysts at Barclays.

據(jù)聯(lián)合市場研究公司稱,聯(lián)合利華將在增長迅速的市場中保留核心品牌,在澳大利亞和歐洲等增長緩慢的地區(qū)撤資,在這些地區(qū),紅茶的受歡迎程度正在下降。

Unilever will retain the core brand in high-growth markets and divest in slow-growth regions such as Australia and Europe where the popularity of black tea is in decline, according to Allied Market Research.

在肯尼亞,聯(lián)合利華(肯尼亞)茶葉有限公司雇用的6萬名工人將在占地8700公頃的Kericho茶葉公司進行生產(chǎn)活動。據(jù)《國家報》報道,“肯尼亞的員工很不安。聯(lián)合利華尚未將其肯尼亞業(yè)務(wù)的計劃透露給股東,這些股東在五年內(nèi)因為經(jīng)營虧損都沒有獲得股息?!?/p>

In Kenya, 60,000 workers employed by Unilever Tea Kenya Ltd. anticipate a gradual scaling back of operations at the 8,700-hectare Kericho Tea Estate. Staff are uneasy, according to The Nation which reports Unilever “has not yet revealed its plans with its Kenya operations to shareholders, who have endured five years without receiving dividends owing to losses.”

8月,聯(lián)合利華肯尼亞茶葉有限公司總經(jīng)理西爾維亞·丹曾告知肯尼亞農(nóng)業(yè)和種植業(yè)工人聯(lián)盟(KPAWU)“公司正在改變其運營模式?!?/p>

In August Sylvia-ten Den, managing director at Unilever Kenya Tea Ltd. advised the Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union (KPAWU) “that the company is changing its operation model.”

在《國家報》中,她寫到,“聯(lián)合利華將組建一家新公司來管理其全球茶葉業(yè)務(wù),新公司的形式和規(guī)模將在明年年底確定。她保證,在那之前,公司運營將照常進行?!?/p>

“She writes that Unilever will form a new company to manage its global tea business, and that the form and shape of the new entity will be decided at the end of next year. She assures that until then operations will proceed as normal,” according to The Nation.

聯(lián)合利華與30個肯尼亞茶園和肯尼亞茶葉發(fā)展局(KTDA)進行了簽約,肯尼亞茶葉發(fā)展局代表另外69個生產(chǎn)紅茶和綠茶的茶園。

Unilever contracts with 30 Kenya tea estates and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) which represents another 69 estates producing black and green tea.

除肯尼亞外,聯(lián)合利華還與馬拉維的21個茶園,烏干達的13個茶園,坦桑尼亞的12個茶園和津巴布韋的6個茶園進行簽約。聯(lián)合利華可能會繼續(xù)購買非洲的茶葉但以其印度品牌進行銷售。被聯(lián)合利華收購的布魯克·邦德(Brooke Bond)品牌,曾在非洲種植茶葉達到百年之久。

In addition to Kenya, Unilever contracts with tea gardens in Malawi (21), Uganda (13), Tanzania (12), and Zimbabwe (6). It is likely that Unilever will continue to purchase tea grown in Africa but marketed under its India brands. Brooke Bond, which was acquired by Unilever, has a century-old tradition of growing tea in Africa.

銀行家和并購律師說,“新型冠狀病毒肺炎疫情迫使聯(lián)合利華重新評估其核心業(yè)務(wù),并將重點轉(zhuǎn)移到增長更快的領(lǐng)域?!?/p>

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing companies to reassess their core divisions and shift focus to higher-growth areas, say bankers and mergers and acquisitions lawyers, according to MarketWatch.

金融數(shù)據(jù)提供商Refinitiv表示:“今年到目前為止,聯(lián)合利華公司已出售了8895項非核心資產(chǎn),總價值為3910億美元。相比之下,2019年同期,有11294項資產(chǎn)被銷售,價值近4150億美元?!?/p>

“So far this year, companies globally have sold 8,895 non-core assets worth a total of $391 billion, according to financial data provider Refinitiv. That compares to 11,294 asset sales worth almost $415 billion for the same period in 2019,” writes MarketWatch.

作者:Dan Bolton

譯者:于英杰

來源:中國茶葉流通協(xié)會

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