Nestlé interested in L'Oréal without Bettencourt
Consumers more interested in cosmetics than food
Peter Brabeck, president of the Nestlé group, has said that the company would be prepared to consider the acquisition of part of L'Oréal if the family shareholder Liliane Bettencourt decided to sell her stake in the cosmetics group.
The Nestlé board has already asked Brabeck to "consider the forms that long-term development of its stake in L'Oréal would take, not least because of a trend which shows consumers with high levels of spending power are spending steadily less on Nestlé food products and steadily more on cosmetics.
Nestlé is currently the second largest shareholder in L'Oréal with a stake of 29.8%, while Mme Bettencourt holds 31%.