US EditionUK Snack Brand Graze to Be Sold to Jamie Laing's Candy Kittens
Unilever divests Graze due to declining sales, while Candy Kittens and Katjes plan to leverage their consumer expertise to grow the UK snack brand.
- A deal announced today pairs Candy Kittens with Katjes International to buy Graze, with terms undisclosed, as Laing said Graze is 'perfect' for growth plans.
- Unilever is pruning its portfolio to focus on condiments and packaged products, and Graze under‑performed with sales falling in recent years, prompting its sale.
- Jamie Laing, a TV personality, built Candy Kittens into a vegan sweets brand for adults and called Graze, an internet-born snack company turned supermarket brand, "perfect" for growth.
- The move shifts Graze from multinational ownership to specialist confectionery players, marking Unilever's latest effort to offload under-performing brands and better realise Graze's future under Katjes International and Candy Kittens Group.
- Candy Kittens' role in the purchase highlights a celebrity‑founded sweet brand entering larger M&A, with Laing's net worth and profile boosting growth prospects.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Unilever sells Graze to Candy Kittens in £36m deal led by Jamie Laing
Unilever is selling the healthy snacks brand Graze to Candy Kittens, the vegan confectionery company co-founded by Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, in a deal understood to be worth £36 million. The transaction will see the FTSE 100 consumer goods giant hand over the struggling brand to Katjes International, which holds a majority stake in Candy Kittens. The sale is part of a wider restructuring at Unilever as chief executive Fernando Fernández …
Unilever sells Graze brand to Katjes International
Unilever has announced the sale of Graze, a healthy snack brand acquired in 2019, to Katjes International and the Candy Kittens Group. The transaction, slated for completion in the first half of 2026, is a strategic pivot in Unilever’s portfolio management, concentrating on specific global power categories. Since its acquisition by Unilever, Graze has transformed significantly. Initially known for its direct-to-consumer subscription model, Graze…
Candy Kittens: 'We want to be the Unilever of challenger brands'
When Ed Williams and Jamie Laing first set up Candy Kittens in 2012, they dreamt of being bought by Unilever. Now – 13 years later – they’ve bought healthy snack brand Graze from the consumer giant for a fraction of what Unilever paid for it in 2019. “Everybody’s supermarkets are dominated by big players,” co-founder Jamie Laing, who is the great-great-grandson of the inventor of the McVitie’s digestive biscuit, said. “They win for a reason, but…
Candy Kittens Set to Acquire UK Snack Brand Graze in Deal with Unilever
Unilever Moves to Sell Under-Performing Food BrandsCandy Kittens, the vegan sweets brand founded by British TV personality Jamie Laing, is set to acquire the UK snack company Graze through a deal involving its parent firm and German packaged goods group Katjes International. The transaction, announced on Monday, is expected to close in the first half of 2026 for an undisclosed amount. The sale reflects Unilever’s ongoing effort to divest under-p…
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