Unilever sales rose again in the first quarter, driven by strong demand from China and India. The food business performed excellently, particularly the segment ice cream for consumption at home.
Currency effects erase the growth
Unilever’s underlying sales grew by 5.7 per cent in the first three months of the year. However, at 12.3 billion euros, reported sales were almost 1 per cent lower than a year ago due to adverse currency effects.
The food division grew by 9.8 per cent, mainly driven by increased demand for ice cream. Most of this was to be consumed at home, although the out-of-home channel also seems to be recovering. Growth within that segment (+4 per cent) came almost entirely from China. Of course, Unilever also benefits from a weak basis for comparison; sales are not yet at pre-crisis levels.
The cleaning and laundry segment also improved significantly, with underlying sales growth of 5.9 per cent. Hygiene and personal care products grew by 2.3 per cent. Unilever sold significantly more shampoo and skincare products, but sales of deodorants fell by about a fifth, writes Dutch news channel NU.nl.
The recorded sales growth is mainly the result of rising demand from China and India (+9.9 per cent). In the United States, growth was significantly lower (+4.3 per cent). In Europe, there was even a decrease of 2.3 per cent.
