茶园工人的烦恼和担忧——联合利华资产剥离事件

作者：Dan Bolton

译者：于英杰

全球最大的茶叶供应商宣布剥离其茶叶资产，这使得该公司全资拥有的茶园和数百个合作中的小茶场面临不确定的命运。

The announced divestiture of tea holdings by the world’s largest tea supplier makes uncertain the fate of the company’s wholly owned tea gardens and hundreds of smaller gardens under contract.

总部位于伦敦的联合利华（Unilever）在1月份进行了战略审查，并于7月表示将拆分其茶叶业务，仅保留瓶装茶饮的合作伙伴关系，同时继续在印度和印度尼西亚开展业务。公司其余的茶叶资产，包括几个茶园，将通过拍卖进行出售。

In July, following a strategic review begun in January, London-based Unilever said it will break up its tea business, retaining only bottling partnerships while continuing operations in India and Indonesia. The rest of the company’s tea assets, including several tea estates, will be sold at auction.

联合利华购买了全球10％的茶叶，在21个国家和地区雇用了超过100万名工人。该公司目前销售的品牌包括Lipton（立顿），PG Tips，Brooke Bond，Pure Leaf，TAZO，Bushells，T2（零售店），以及在150多个国家和地区销售的其它21个较小的品牌。立顿黄标是世界上最畅销的茶品牌，占全球红茶销量的7％。与亚洲品牌相比，绿茶的销售额微不足道。巴克莱银行（Barclays）金融分析师称，联合利华的茶叶业务估值为为40-50亿美元。

Unilever purchases 10% of the world’s tea, employing more than one million workers in 21 countries. Brands currently marketed by the company include Lipton, PG Tips, Brooke Bond, Pure Leaf, TAZO, Bushells, T2 (retail shops), and 21 smaller brands sold in more than 150 countries. Lipton Yellow Label, the world’s best-selling tea brand, accounts for 7% of black tea sales globally. Sales of green tea are insignificant when compared to Asia brands. The tea division is valued at $4-$5 billion, according to financial analysts at Barclays.

据联合市场研究公司称，联合利华将在增长迅速的市场中保留核心品牌，在澳大利亚和欧洲等增长缓慢的地区撤资，在这些地区，红茶的受欢迎程度正在下降。

Unilever will retain the core brand in high-growth markets and divest in slow-growth regions such as Australia and Europe where the popularity of black tea is in decline, according to Allied Market Research.

在肯尼亚，联合利华（肯尼亚）茶叶有限公司雇用的6万名工人将在占地8700公顷的Kericho茶叶公司进行生产活动。据《国家报》报道，“肯尼亚的员工很不安。联合利华尚未将其肯尼亚业务的计划透露给股东，这些股东在五年内因为经营亏损都没有获得股息。”

In Kenya, 60,000 workers employed by Unilever Tea Kenya Ltd. anticipate a gradual scaling back of operations at the 8,700-hectare Kericho Tea Estate. Staff are uneasy, according to The Nation which reports Unilever “has not yet revealed its plans with its Kenya operations to shareholders, who have endured five years without receiving dividends owing to losses.”

8月，联合利华肯尼亚茶叶有限公司总经理西尔维亚·丹曾告知肯尼亚农业和种植业工人联盟（KPAWU）“公司正在改变其运营模式。”

In August Sylvia-ten Den, managing director at Unilever Kenya Tea Ltd. advised the Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union (KPAWU) “that the company is changing its operation model.”

在《国家报》中，她写到，“联合利华将组建一家新公司来管理其全球茶叶业务，新公司的形式和规模将在明年年底确定。她保证，在那之前，公司运营将照常进行。”

“She writes that Unilever will form a new company to manage its global tea business, and that the form and shape of the new entity will be decided at the end of next year. She assures that until then operations will proceed as normal,” according to The Nation.

联合利华与30个肯尼亚茶园和肯尼亚茶叶发展局（KTDA）进行了签约，肯尼亚茶叶发展局代表另外69个生产红茶和绿茶的茶园。

Unilever contracts with 30 Kenya tea estates and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) which represents another 69 estates producing black and green tea.

除肯尼亚外，联合利华还与马拉维的21个茶园，乌干达的13个茶园，坦桑尼亚的12个茶园和津巴布韦的6个茶园进行签约。联合利华可能会继续购买非洲的茶叶但以其印度品牌进行销售。被联合利华收购的布鲁克·邦德（Brooke Bond）品牌，曾在非洲种植茶叶达到百年之久。

In addition to Kenya, Unilever contracts with tea gardens in Malawi (21), Uganda (13), Tanzania (12), and Zimbabwe (6). It is likely that Unilever will continue to purchase tea grown in Africa but marketed under its India brands. Brooke Bond, which was acquired by Unilever, has a century-old tradition of growing tea in Africa.

银行家和并购律师说，“新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情迫使联合利华重新评估其核心业务，并将重点转移到增长更快的领域。”

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing companies to reassess their core divisions and shift focus to higher-growth areas, say bankers and mergers and acquisitions lawyers, according to MarketWatch.

金融数据提供商Refinitiv表示：“今年到目前为止，联合利华公司已出售了8895项非核心资产，总价值为3910亿美元。相比之下，2019年同期，有11294项资产被销售，价值近4150亿美元。”

“So far this year, companies globally have sold 8,895 non-core assets worth a total of $391 billion, according to financial data provider Refinitiv. That compares to 11,294 asset sales worth almost $415 billion for the same period in 2019,” writes MarketWatch.