卡夫亨氏放弃收购联合利华

Kraft Heinz, the Warren Buffett-backed US food group, has dropped its $143bn pursuit of consumer products rival Unilever, only two days after publicly confirming its interest in acquiring the Anglo-Dutch rival.

沃伦•巴菲特(Warren Buffett)持股的美国食品集团卡夫亨氏(Kraft Heinz)放弃了以1430亿美元收购其消费品竞争对手联合利华(Unilever)的计划，两天前卡夫刚公开确认收购这家英荷竞争对手的兴趣。

Kraft Heinz said in a joint statement with Unilever that it had “amicably agreed to withdraw its proposal for a combination of the two companies”.

卡夫亨氏在与联合利华发表的联合声明中表示，“友好地同意收回两家公司合并的提议”。

A takeover would have created the world’s second-largest consumer goods group by sales, combining brands such as Kraft Mac & Cheese and Heinz Tomato Ketchup with Unilever’s Dove soap and Magnum ice cream.

若该收购交易得以完成，将缔造全世界销售额第二大消费品集团，使得Kraft Mac & Cheese和亨氏番茄酱(Heinz Tomato Ketchup)与联合利华的多芬(Dove)香皂以及梦龙(Magnum)冰激凌等品牌结合在一起。

The companies said: “Unilever and Kraft Heinz hold each other in high regard. Kraft Heinz has the utmost respect for the culture, strategy and leadership of Unilever.”

两家公司称：“联合利华和卡夫亨氏彼此高度尊重。卡夫亨氏极为尊重联合利华的文化、战略和领导力。”

The announcement came after a report in FT Alphaville on Friday forced Kraft Heinz to confirm it had approached Unilever about a combination to create a juggernaut in packaged foods and household items.

此前，上周五FT Alphaville博客上的一篇报道使得卡夫亨氏不得不确认了就合并计划(将打造包装食品和家居用品方面的巨无霸)接洽联合利华的情况。

Kraft Heinz said in a separate statement that its “interest was made public at an extremely early stage. Our intention was to proceed on a friendly basis, but it was made clear Unilever did not wish to pursue a transaction.”

卡夫亨氏在另一份声明中表示，“收购意向在非常早期的阶段被公开。我们的意图是在友好基础上推进，但联合利华表明不希望进行交易。”

It added: “It is best to step away early so both companies can focus on their own independent plans to generate value. We remain focused on driving long-term value while always putting our consumers first.”

该公司补充称：“最好尽早放弃，这样两家公司都可以专注于各自创造价值的计划。我们仍然专注于推动长期价值，同时一如既往地把消费者放在首位。”

Two people close to the talks said Warren Buffett and 3G Capital’s Jorge Paulo Lemann, Heinz Kraft’s main shareholders, decided on Sunday morning to withdraw the bid after they concluded that a protracted public battle to take over Unilever would have caused more damage than good.

接近有关谈判的两名知情人士称，卡夫亨氏的主要股东沃伦•巴菲特和3G资本(3G Capital)的豪尔赫•保罗•莱曼(Jorge Paulo Lemann)于周日早上决定放弃此次竞标，此前他们得出结论，为收购联合利华进行漫长的公开角力弊大于利。