Dutch food group Numico said today the head of its US operations, which includes the struggling vitamin maker Rexall Sundown, is to step down in a management re-shuffle designed to boost performance.
In a statement, the world's biggest vitamin and food supplement maker said the responsibilities of the executive board member Peter van Wel would be taken on temporarily by chief executive Jan Bennink.
The changes to the US management team follow the announcements late last year that Rexall Sundown and the wholesale business Unicity will be sold, with US operations concentrating on the vitamin retailer GNC.
Jan Bennink, CEO of Numico, said: "By implementing a new US management structure we focus both on execution of the divestments and on strengthening the retail capabilities within GNC. This in order to support our main objective to become a high growth, high margin company."
Van Wel's successor, who will be responsible for GNC, will be announced at a later date, said the company, which has also decided to integrate the corporate communications and investor relations departments. Michiel Quarles van Ufford, currently an external consultant for Numico, has been appointed as interim director of corporate communications and investor relations, until a suitable candidate has been found. According to Jan Bennink, this will strengthen the transparency and consistency in communication.
Royal Numico, which employs more than 29,500 people, last year restructured US operations, leading to the loss of some 600 jobs. This was not, however, enough to lift performance, badly affected by the weak vitamins market in the US.
The new strategy, outlined in November last year, will see the company focus on its core babyfood and clinical nutrition activities within Europe and on GNC. As part of the focus on core activities, Numico sold its Dutch skincare businesses Biodermal and Galenco to Belgium's Omega Pharma at the beginning of the month. The combined sales of the companies amounted to approximately €15 million in 2002, said Numico. It is expected that the sale will be finalised by the end of March 2003.