Unilever Beauty Sales Climb 3.1% in Q1, Fuelled by Prestige, New Brands

LONDON – Skin care, prestige products and new acquisitions boosted underlying sales in Unilever’s beauty division 3.1 percent to 5.2 billion euros in the first quarter, the Anglo-Dutch consumer giant and parent of brands including Dove, Vaseline, and Ponds said in a trading update Thursday. Overall sales grew 3.1 percent to 12.4 billion euros on in the three months to March 31. On a reported basis, year-on-year sales dipped 1.6 percent due to Unilever’s disposal of its spreads business to KKR last July. Beauty was the largest division, by turnover, in the quarter, followed by foods and refreshment, and home care. Alan Jope, chief executive officer, said the year was off to a “solid start,” and the company was on track to achieve its full-year expectations. He said growth was led by emerging markets and was balanced between volume and price. “Accelerating growth is our number one priority. It requires both great execution and a continued strategic shift into faster growth segments and channels. We saw good performance in key growth channels, including e-commerce, and benefited from stronger global innovations and faster and more relevant local innovation,” Jope said. He added that the acquisitions made since 2015 collectively grew in the double-digits in the first

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