Unilver scraps move to Rotterdam

Unilever scrapped it plans to turn the British-Dutch company into a purely Dutch company and move its head office from London to Rotterdam. Resistance from British shareholders in particular was decisive in this matter, NOS reports.

The board of directors will now consider how to proceed. Shareholders' meetings scheduled for the end of the month, will be moved to a later date.

According to Unilever, there was extensive contact with shareholders and there was support for the move to Rotterdam, but not enough.

Unilever is a British-Dutch company with two types of shares and two head offices, one in London and one in Rotterdam. In March the company announced it would become a purely Dutch company with one type of shares and its head office in Rotterdam. This was in order to "operate more decisively".

The decision to scrap these plans may also have consequences for Prime Minister Mark Rutte's plan to abolish dividend tax. According to the Volkskrant, Rutte came up with his controversial plan with this move in mind