MAGNUM® Ice Cream Partners with alice + olivia to Unveil the Season's Must-Have, the Mini

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "Mini" will be the must-have this season as MAGNUM® – a super-premium ice cream recognized around the world as a symbol of indulgent pleasure – partners with sophisticated, yet playful fashion brand alice + olivia and its founder Stacey Bendet to introduce new MAGNUM® Mini ice cream bars, now available at grocery retailers nationwide.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120411/CG85606LOGO)

Bendet will draw inspiration from the dainty but decadent MAGNUM Mini to design an original 'Mini' skirt, which will be revealed during the brand's Spring 2013 presentation at the fall's biggest fashion event in New York in September 2012.

The partnership celebrates the nationwide launch of MAGNUM Mini, a smaller version of the popular ice cream bars with thick, crackling Belgian chocolate and vanilla bean ice cream. It's the latest introduction for MAGNUM Ice Cream, which made its U.S. debut in 2011 among trendsetters and tastemakers at events like the Tribeca Film Festival, V Magazine Black & White Ball, Fashion's Night Out and the W New York-Downtown Summer Jam Series.

"Inspiration is like ice cream. It always makes you smile," says Stacey Bendet, Founder and Designer of alice + olivia. "The MAGNUM Mini is the perfect inspiration for a mini skirt, playful and sweet!"

While MAGNUM Mini ice cream bars make waves in the fashion world, the brand will make another star turn at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 18-29, sponsoring the opening night film – giving entertainment luminaries another taste of the world's best-selling ice cream bars.

"We were thrilled with the response to MAGNUM following our U.S. launch last year," said Mike Hurley, senior brand building manager, U.S. ice cream at Unilever. "Now, with the introduction of the MAGNUM Mini, any day can present itself with one of life's pleasurable moments."

Delicately crafted from only the finest ingredients, MAGNUM Mini ice cream bars combine velvety vanilla bean ice cream with luxurious Belgian chocolate and are available in Classic and Almond. These premium on-the-go delights will be available in 6-count multipacks for the suggested retail price of $5.99 in grocery retailers nationwide, including Target, Safeway, Kroger and Walmart.

For more information on MAGNUM and MAGNUM Mini ice cream bars, step behind the velvet rope at www.magnumicecream.com or www.facebook.com/magnum.

About MAGNUM®
Launched in 1989, MAGNUM® was one of the first handheld ice creams targeted as a premium adult offering. Today, MAGNUM is one of the world's leading ice cream brands, selling one billion units annually worldwide, and it is the biggest brand of Unilever ice creams.

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180.  With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating over $9 billion in sales in 2011.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

About alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet
Launched in 2002, alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet is a sophisticated brand with a playful sensibility, which epitomizes the personality and style of its founder, Stacey Bendet.  The brand was born from Stacey's personal quest to create a flattering pair of pants, and has since grown into a full women's ready to wear collection, including outerwear, dresses, and the perfect pants that started it all.  In the spring of 2008, a children's line was introduced which currently offers everything from sweaters to jumpers for little ladies. Stacey has also expanded into different categories with a Base Collection for the ultimate layering pieces to the Career Collection for a more modern working woman. In 2011, the alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet shoe line was launched and includes a wide variety of high-fashion yet affordable styles from leather knee-high boots to sparkly Mary Janes. Now a full lifestyle collection, the brand has become a Hollywood favorite with fans including Gwyneth Paltrow, Fergie, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively, and Taylor Swift.  alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet is available at the brand's eight free-standing boutiques in New York (Bryant Park, Madison Ave., Manhasset + Southampton), California (Los Angeles, Malibu + San Francisco), Connecticut (Greenwich), aliceandolivia.com and at over 700 select department and specialty stores worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-Porter.com, shopbop.com, Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

For more information or images, please contact:
Lindsey Auslander
GolinHarris
312-729-4366
[email protected]

Dan Mazei
GolinHarris
212-373-6023
[email protected]

SOURCE MAGNUM Ice Cream