Alan Jope

LONDON— Unilever UL -3.96% PLC said Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope plans to retire at the end of next year, signaling an end to what has been a challenging tenure at the helm of the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.The London-based consumer-goods giant said Monday that it would conduct a formal search for a successor and consider both internal and external candidates. The CEO change comes as Unilever seeks to…

Consumers looking for relief from higher prices might have to wait a while.The makers of Coca-Cola beverages, Dove shampoo, Huggies diapers and Big Macs have been raising prices as their costs increase on everything from wood pulp to wages. The executives behind these global brands on Tuesday said they would keep passing along those costs to shoppers, for now. Consumers are continuing to buy even as inflation takes a toll on households, these executives said. However, some companies are already warning of a consumer…

UnileverPLC said it has sold its Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel to the local licensee, seeking to end a controversy that has buffeted the company since last year, when the brand said it would stop selling its products in Jewish settlements located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested East Jerusalem.The move is the latest development in a public rift between the ice-cream brand’s independent board and its corporate parent. It could relieve pressure Unilever has faced from politicians and investors over…

Unilever PLC UL -4.57% has for years wrestled with the best way to run its ice cream-to-shampoo empire. Now it is set to get some fresh inspiration from activist investor Nelson Peltz. Mr. Peltz, who gained a board seat at Unilever after his Trian Fund Management LP amassed a 1.5% stake in the maker of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, has a strong record in the consumer-goods industry. Still, reinvigorating Unilever could prove tricky. The…