Unilever confirms looking at options for Bertolli

LONDON (Reuters) - Consumer goods group Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) on Thursday confirmed it is looking at options for its Bertolli olive oil brand which has annual sales of around 300 million euros (235 million pounds).

"We are considering strategic options for the Bertolli olive oil business," group Finance Director Jim Lawrence said in a first-quarter results presentation.

He added any deal would involve a licence deal so Unilever could still use the Bertolli brand name, which is used on sauces, spreads and snacks as well as on olive oil.

His comments confirm what sources close to the situation told Reuters on Wednesday. The sources said Unilever was looking for a sale and licence deal for Bertolli which they said could fetch up to 200 million euros.

Last August, Unilever said it wanted to sell businesses with a total of more than 2 billion euros of annual turnover, including its North American laundry unit, which accounts for 800 million euros of annual sales.

Lawrence said Unilever had interest from a number of parties for this business and the disposal process was continuing.

So far Unilever has sold its French cheese Boursin and has agreed to sell its U.S. marinades & spices business Lawry's, both of which have around 100 million euros of annual sales.

($1=.6523 Euro)

(Reporting by David Jones; Editing by David Holmes)