It comes after it announced in March that it would be cutting costs, affecting about 7,500 roles globally.

The firm said it would begin a consultation process with those affected by cuts in Europe, with about 3,200 jobs being axed in the region.

"We recognise the significant anxiety that these proposals are causing among our people," it said in a statement.

The changes are part of efforts to revive growth at the firm under boss Hein Schumacher who took over as chief executive last year after underperformance in recent years.

It was not immediately clear where the job cuts would fall.

Unilever has major offices in London and Rotterdam, where the company maintained dual headquarters for decades before deciding in 2020 to unify its legal structure in the UK. At the time, it said it would not affect staffing.

“These measures mean the biggest job cuts in Unilever for decades," Hermann Soggeberg, the head of Unilever’s European Works Council, said in a letter to staff.

A Unilever spokesperson said: “In March, we announced the launch of a comprehensive productivity programme, to drive focus and growth through a leaner and more accountable organisation."