First round bids for the Italian frozen food business being sold by Unilever PLC (UL) are due by May 24, people familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) at the beginning of April to run an auction of the unit which has annual turnover of around EUR450 million.

Potential buyers include Permira, which will bid through Birds Eye Iglo Group, the European frozen-foods business it bought from Unilever in November 2006, and Lion Capital which already owns Findus Group, parent of Young's, Findus and Seafood Co.

Representatives for Unilever and Goldman Sachs weren't immediately available to comment.

-By Marietta Cauchi, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 207 842 9241; marietta.cauchi@dowjones.com

(Jessica Hodgson and Michael Carolan contributed to this article.)
Unilever NV (NYSE:UN)
Historical Stock Chart
Von Jun 2024 bis Jul 2024 Click Here for more Unilever NV Charts.
Unilever NV (NYSE:UN)
Historical Stock Chart
Von Jul 2023 bis Jul 2024 Click Here for more Unilever NV Charts.