Nestlé is selling off toffees, licorice and other confectionery in New Zealand.
The company is saying goodbye to lollies, but it’s staying in the business of producing chocolate and baking goods for the New Zealand market.
RJ’s in New Zealand will purchase the Mackintosh’s, Heards, Oddfellows, Black Knight and Fabulicious Red Licorice brands from Nestlé.
The completion of the sale is expected to happen on the 31st of August.
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Where possible, RJ’s intends to continue the manufacture of these brands in New Zealand, with plans to be finalised in the coming weeks.
Nestlé will also sell the Life Savers brand to Darrell Lea in Australia.
The sale of these brands will result in up to 55 redundancies from Wiri factory, but RJ’s is helping to identify opportunities for redundant workers.
Earlier in July, Nestlé announced it was committed to using certified sustainable palm oil in all its products by 2023.
Nestlé’s global head of responsible sourcing Benjamin Ware said transparency in Nestlé’s supply chain had always been a priority.
“Nestlé has always been committed to implementing responsible sourcing and has made significant progress towards our commitment to using fully responsibly sourced palm oil,” he said.
“Nestlé supports RSPO’s role in driving industry wide change and appreciates its decision following the submission of our action plan, which focuses on increasing traceability primarily through segregated RSPO palm oil,” said Ware.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil reinstated Nestlé’s membership following its time-bound action plan to achieve 100 per cent RSPO certified sustainable palm oil.