The future of one of Ireland’s most iconic brands, Lyons Tea, looks uncertain as its owner – the giant FMCG group Unilever – is believed to be selling its entire tea business which had sales in excess of €3bn last year.
Unilever is the largest tea manufacturer in the world and owns brands such as Lipton, PG Tips, Brroke Bond, Pure Leaf, Lan-Choo, Té-club, Glen Tea and Lyons Tea
However, Unilever has been under pressure over the past two years following sluggish sales growth and amid changing consumer preferences as younger drinkers choose coffee over tea. It is understood that the multinational giant is completing a review of its tea business which is likely to lead to a trade sale.
Lyons Tea is the most popular tea brand in Ireland and can trace its origins back to 1902 when the Lyons family opened a tea importing business in Dublin’s Christchurch. In 1932 the business moved to Marlborough Street and then it 1963 it opened a new factory in Goldenbridge, Dublin. The business was acquired by Unilever in 1996.
