Unilever CEO to Retire Next Year After Rocky Tenure

LONDON—Unilever PLC said Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope plans to retire at the end of next year, signaling an end to what has been a challenging tenure at the helm of the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

The London-based consumer-goods giant said Monday that it would conduct a formal search for a successor and consider both internal and external candidates.