Philips is hiving off its once leading television business, the first step by new chief executive Frans van Houten to boost flagging profit at Europe's biggest consumer electronics maker. Philips is moving its loss-making TV business to a 30/70 joint venture with Hong-Kong based monitor maker TPV and has the option to sell out. The Dutch group has struggled to compete with lower-cost Asian rivals Samsung and LG Electronics.
Van Houten, a restructuring expert who took over as CEO this month, said he was assessing the profitability of Philips's 400 or so business areas and "taking the blanket off" its laggards, a hint that further sales could be on the cards. Philips shares opened lower on the news, but rebounded soon after. By 1410 GMT they were down 1 percent, while the Amsterdam market was down 1.7 percent. Trading in TPV's shares was halted at the request of the company earlier on Monday.