Sime Darby to split into three 'pure plays' to unlock value

Kuala Lumpur

BIGGER may not necessarily be better. Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd has decided to break up its core businesses so they can be run and operated with greater focus and agility.

Under a carve-out plan to "unlock value" for its shareholders, its plantations, property, and trading and logistics businesses will be split into three listed "pure plays".

In this "next era", which comes nearly a decade since the merger of three related companies to create the current Sime, the government-linked conglomerate will park its plantations and …