German confectionery group Katjes is reportedly close to striking a deal to buy snack brand Graze from Unilever.
According to Sky News, Katjes is in advanced talks to acquire Graze for around £35m ($46.2m).
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Unilever declined to comment when approached by Just Food. At the time of writing, Katjes had not responded to requests for comment.
Unilever acquired Graze in 2019 from private-equity firm The Carlyle Group. At the time, Sky News claimed the consumer goods company had paid around £150m for the brand.
Graze originally started as a subscription-only service selling boxes healthier snacks centred on nuts and seeds.
Last week, Reuters reported Unilever was weighing up whether to offload there UK brands – Marmite, Colman’s and Bovril.
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By GlobalDataBack in March, when Unilever announced the sale of meat-free brand The Vegetarian Butcher, the company said it was “looking to sharpen its portfolio for long-term growth and scalability, focusing on fewer, bigger brands”.
In January, Unilever also offloaded its pasta sauce retail range in Germany to Italian food producer Casalasco Group.
The previous month it revealed received a “binding offer” from Dutch meat, snacks and soups producer Zwanenberg Food Group to acquire the Unox and Zwan food brands. The deal remains subject to competition approval in the Netherlands.
Last month, Katjes acquired a 25% stake in German cookie-dough business SD Sugar Daddies for an undisclosed sum last month.
The privately-owned group has bought UK businesses in the past. In 2022, Katjes snapped up gluten-free baked goods firm Genius Foods through its venture-capital arm Katjes Greenfood.
Katjes also holds a majority share in UK vegan-confectionery business Candy Kittens after a deal struck in 2019.
