Unilever to cut thousands of office jobs in turnaround push

In October, Mr Schumacher said he would no longer seek to “force fit” all its brands with a social purpose, saying for some of them this “simply won’t be relevant or it will be an unwelcome distraction”.

It followed criticism from shareholders including Terry Smith, one of Britain’s best-known investors, who had accused the company of “virtue signalling”. He previously said: “A company which feels it has to define the purpose of Hellmann’s mayonnaise has, in our view, clearly lost the plot.”

Unilever unveiled the plan to cut jobs in March as part of a wider overhaul, which included splitting off its ice cream business. It has already recently sold its beauty brands. 

A spokesman for Unilever said: “In March, we announced the launch of a comprehensive productivity programme, to drive focus and growth through a leaner and more accountable organisation. We are now, over the next few weeks, starting the consultation process with employees who may be impacted by the proposed changes.

“We recognise the significant anxiety that these proposals are causing amongst our people. We are committed to supporting everyone through these changes, as we go through the consultation process.”