As the spin-off of Magnum as a separate company draws near, it further escalates the feud between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever. The incorporation document for the separate ice cream division appears to further erode Ben & Jerry’s independence, which founder Ben Cohen already reacted furiously to.
Preparing IPO
Yesterday, the Magnum Ice Cream Company announced it found Ben & Jerry’s chair Anuradha Mittal “no longer meets the criteria” to serve in her role as board member. This could mean that one of the most important safeguards to maintain Ben & Jerry’s relative independence in the food conglomerate is further reduced. Magnum made the statement in its documents preparing its IPO on 8 December.
