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PT Unilever Indonesia, the publicly listed consumer goods
maker, is in negotiations to acquire brands and pursue partnerships
with local companies to help it strengthen its presence in the
Indonesian market.
"We are negotiating with a number of companies," said Franky Jamin,
Unilever corporate secretary, while refusing to name names.
"But it is possible to undertake other kinds of cooperation with those
companies in case these negotiations fail."
The last brand the company acquired was Taro snacks, produced by PT
Rasa Murni Utama, in 2003.
The acquisition plan was part of the company's expansion strategy,
Franky said, so that it could retain its strong grip on the market and
even strengthen it.
Unilever, already the country's largest consumer goods maker, produces
processed foods and beverages such as instant noodles, tea and bread.
Turning to the company's performance, Franky said he was optimistic
that sales would increase by more than 10 percent in the last quarter
of the year, having registered a healthy 14 percent growth in the
previous quarter.
Last year, the company, a unit of Rotterdam and London-based Unilever,
booked a 1.62 percent drop in sales as the fuel price hikes eroded
people's purchasing power.
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