Significant sales growth at food manufacturer Nestlé in the first half of the year is mainly due to strong performances on the large American market, to increasing sales in petcare and to the successful launch of Starbucks.
KitKat and Garden Gourmet also grow
Over the past six months, Nestlé’s turnover increased by 3.5 percent to 45.5 billion Swiss francs (41.2 billion euros). Underlying operating profit increased by 10.1 percent to 7.8 billion Swiss francs (7 billion euros) thanks to higher prices and improved efficiency.
The strongest increase was in the US and Brazil. All product categories contributed to the growth, with Purina petcare, coffee and baby food as highlights. In addition to Nescafé and Nespresso, the launch of Starbucks coffee products in 14 countries has been a success. More countries will follow in the second half of the year. In Europe there was also strong growth for KitKat and for Garden Gourmet’s vegetarian products.
Nestlé is on track to achieve its financial goals by 2020, says CEO Mark Schneider. The multinational is continuing to optimize its product portfolio: skincare division Nestlé Skin Care will be sold in the second half of the year for 10.2 billion Swiss francs (9.2 billion euros) and the strategic review of charcuterie brand Herta will be completed by the end of the year.
