Food giant Unilever sees profits fall to 31m

UNILEVER Bestfoods, which owns the Lyons Tea and HB ice-cream brands, saw its Irish profits fall by 8 million to 31m in 2002.

Accounts filed recently at the Companies’ Office shows that Unilever took a hit on profits after a restructuring programme to streamline its Irish operations.

In November 2002 Unilever announced that it would close its HB ice cream manufacturing plant in Dublin with the loss of 180 jobs.