Danone has started 2025 well: the French food giant achieved sales of 6.8 billion euros in the first quarter, representing a 4.3 % comparable growth. CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique said his company grew across all categories.
Broad-based growth
Sales growth came from both volume growth (+ 1.9 %) and price increases (+ 2.4 %), indicating that consumers were willing to buy more despite higher prices. Like-for-like growth of 9.9 % was particularly notable in China, North Asia and Oceania, driven by medical nutrition and a strong performance by dairy brand Mizone in Japan.
Healthy products performed well everywhere, with yogurt brand Oikos scoring particularly well in North America. Sales grew 2 % in Europe as well, thanks to brands such as Alpro, YoPro and Actimel. Dairy product sales were down 2.7 % on a reported basis, but they grew 3.7 % on a like-for-like basis. Specialised nutrition was up 5.3 %, driven mainly by rising demand for medical foods and baby food. The water segment grew by 4.1 %.
Danone confirms earlier expectations for 2025: sales growth of between 3 and 5 % on a like-for-like basis, with accelerating growth in operating profit. The company shows optimism for the rest of the year, driven by science-based innovation, a customer-centric approach and a broader distribution footprint.
