Unilever PLC has shelved plans to sell a string of struggling beauty and personal care brands after failing to drum up enough interest, according to people familiar with the matter, a setback for the consumer-goods giant that has been under pressure to accelerate growth.
The Dove soap owner said at the start of this year that it was carving out brands including Q-Tips, Caress, TIGI, Timotei, Impulse, Monsavon and bundling them into a new, separate business called Elida. It hired advisers earlier this year to explore a sale of the brands, which collectively generated sales of about 600 million euros, equivalent to about $695.7 million, last year.
