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Bigger used to be better for consumer goods groups.

CEOs built empires that mash together mayonnaise, shampoo, and fabrics oftener under one roof.

But that playbook is dying a slow depth.

Supermarket brands have become better, cheaper and more competitive

and are essentially eating the branded group's lunches.

So now the giants are breaking themselves apart.

Unilever's been on a selling spree, teas, spreads, spinning off ice cream and

announced a tie-up with McCormack, a US-based hot sauce maker that would create a $66 billion

food empire. They're not alone. Nestle is also considering selling off part of its water

business. GSK, Johnson & Johnson and Sinoffi have separated their consumer units.

The new mantra is that simple is better and being focused will gain the attention of investors.

But here's the question.

Who actually wants to own a sprawling food cast off?

What weird combos are coming next? And will investors actually reward these companies with better valuations if they finish this corporate surgery? All of this and more is in this week's Vues Room.

It's Amy. And it's Jonathan. And this is the Vs Room, your weekly dive into the biggest stories in business, economics, and corporate finance.

And Amy, it's kind of funny.

So you were out last week, and we were talking a lot about transatlantic deal making.

And here we have another tie up from both sides of the pond.

You've been covering Unilever for quite a while,

right? Yes, absolutely. I mean, Unilever is fascinating. I think it was like nearly a hundred

years ago that it was brought together by, you know, a food business and a soap maker. And now

...