FILE PHOTO: The logo of Unilever is seen at the headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The German food retailer Kaufland on Friday said that it was dropping Unilever (ULVR.L) products from its shelves to protest against price increases. Kaufland, which operates 660 stores in Germany, said that it had tried to reach a solution since May with Unilever but its offers were rejected. It affects products including Knorr, Lipton and Ben & Jerry’s. Unilever, citing confidential customer relationships, declined to comment. “Unilever, from Kaufland’s point of view, seeks to use its formidable market position to influence retailers and optimize its own returns,” Kaufland said. “Due to its corporate responsibility, Kaufland was unable to accept Unilever’s demands and had to react,” the German retailer said. Kaufland said that it its decision would also impact its stores in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Kaufland is part of Germany’s Schwarz Gruppe, which is also the owner of discount retailer Lidl. Reporting by Tom Sims and Anneli Palmen; Additional reporting by Martinne Geller in London. Editing by Jane Merriman
German food retailer Kaufland has announced it will no longer carry Unilever products because of price increases. The retailer, which operates 660 outlets in Germany, stated that it has been in talks since May 2018 attempting to reach a pricing agreement with the consumer goods company but could not agree a compromise, stating that Unilever continues to use its dominant market share to increase its own profits at the cost of retailers. In an announcement on Monday, the supermarket chain said that it had reached an agreement for all Unilever brands sold by Kaufland, including Unilever, Dove, Pantene and Garnier Fructis, to be removed