The GSK business, which includes the popular malt-based drinks Horlicks and Boost, is likely to fetch less than $4 billion, said people close the deal, who declined to be identified as the information is confidential. Unilever looks set to beat out Nestle in the bidding war for GlaxoSmithKline’s Indian nutrition business. The acquisition would bring less than $4bn to Unilever but would strengthen the company’s position in Indian markets, which are currently showing faster growth than Western markets. “India is a very important market and we have been working on this deal since last year,” said Mr Gulati. Horlicks’ growth has slowed from 15% to 4% between 2013 and 2017.
Unilever looks set to beat out Nestle in the bidding war for GlaxoSmithKline’s Indian nutrition business. The acquisition would bring less than $4bn to Unilever but would strengthen the company’s position in Indian markets, which are currently showing faster growth than Western markets. “India is a very important market and we have been working on this deal since last year,” said Mr Gulati. Horlicks’ growth has slowed from 15% to 4% between 2013 and 2017.