Anglo Dutch food to detergent group Unilever is set to announce on Thursday that it is closing its London headquarters, British broadcaster Sky News has reported.

Sky says the directors of the British and Dutch holding companies are meeting on Wednesday afternoon to finalise the decision to focus on Rotterdam.

Unilever has maintained separate headquarters since it was founded in 1930 but has always operated as a single business with a single board of directors.

The company has been reviewing its dual corporate structure since US foods giant Kraft Heinz made a hostile bid for Unilever last year. People close to the company told Sky that Dutch corporate laws allowing companies to adopt ‘poison pill’ anti-takeover defences have been a major factor in the review.