Unilever has announced that it is to acquire T2, a premium Australian tea business for an undisclosed amount.
Kevin Havelock, Unilever's president for refreshment said, “T2 is a fast growing premium tea business with great potential. Unilever is the biggest tea company in the world with brands like Lipton – one of Unilever’s ‘billion-plus’ brands – available in more than 70 countries."
He continued, "This [acquisition] will allow us to bring the benefits of scale and access to new markets to the T2 business and for both businesses to share tea category expertise."
"This deal will also bring a premium tea business to complement our portfolio that we can leverage in a similar way to other recent Unilever acquisitions.”
Clive Stiff, Unilever Australasia chairman added, “Our Lipton and Bushells brands are two of Australia’s oldest and best-loved tea brands and tea is a strategically important category for Unilever Australia."
"We know tea drinkers are increasingly looking for new and diverse tea flavours, so we are delighted to be bringing T2’s premium and exciting range into the fold. T2 is a great Australian success story – a story that we now intend to continue with Unilever.”
Launched 17 years ago, T2 offers the country’s largest range of premium tea and tea wares in its 40 stores, with a range of over 200 teas for sale.
Described by Unilever as an 'iconic Australian brand', the T2 retail experience is, according to the FMCG giant, 'both unique and immersive; a celebration of the centuries-old art of tea-making'.
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney
