Unilever to Be Listed on Chinese Exchange

The maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream appears set to become the first foreign company listed on a Chinese stock exchange, the state-run China Daily said.

Unilever is one of eight non-Chinese companies that have applied to list shares, the report said.

Most the others are based in Taiwan or Hong Kong. China recently has changed its regulations to make it easier for companies based outside the mainland to list on its twin stock exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Unilever, which is jointly based in London and Rotterdam, Netherlands, has long expressed an interest in listing on a Chinese stock exchange and will likely be the first to win approval from Chinese regulators, the report said.

Unilever raised its presence in the United States last year by buying Slim-Fast Foods, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Bestfoods--maker of Hellman’s, Knorr and other brands.