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Acquisition closed

Unilever acquires Hellmann's and 2 other brands (2000)

Unilever completed the acquisition of Hellmann's and 2 other brands on 4 October 2000 for $24.3 billion, buying from Bestfoods.[1][2]

Unilever acquired Bestfoods, the American food group behind Knorr and Hellmann's, in what was then the largest cash acquisition in the food industry. The European Commission cleared the deal in Phase I subject to divestiture commitments.

Deal facts

Announced
Closed
Value
$24.3 billion (enterprise value)
Buyer
Unilever
Seller
Bestfoods
Assets
Hellmann's, Knorr, Maizena
Regulatory review
European Commission M.1990 (Cleared with remedies, 28 September 2000)

Ownership changes recorded from this deal

OwnerOwnedRelationshipStakeFromTo
BestfoodsHellmann'sowns100%—2000-10-04
BestfoodsKnorrowns100%—2000-10-04
BestfoodsMaizenaowns100%—2000-10-04
UnileverHellmann'sowns100%2000-10-04present
UnileverKnorrowns100%2000-10-04present
UnileverMaizenaowns100%2000-10-04present

Who owns these brands today?

Regulatory review

European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition — M.1990

Cleared with remedies · Article 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations

The European Commission cleared Unilever's acquisition of Bestfoods in Phase I on 28 September 2000 under Article 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations, after the parties offered divestitures. The case was notified on 16 August 2000 under the then-applicable Council Regulation 4064/89.

  • divest business — Divestiture commitments in overlapping food categories in several member states.

Sources (2) & corrections

Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

  1. [1] European Commission merger case M.1990 — Unilever / Bestfoods — European Commission, DG Competition, Regulator decision, published 28 September 2000; retrieved 6 September 2026.
  2. [2] Unilever PLC Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2025 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 20-F, published 12 March 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.

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