Unilever reports strong 2012 Q3 results

Unilever has reported strong growth in the third quarter of 2012, with its turnover increasing by 10.3% to €13.4bn.

Showing that the company’s transformation to a sustainable growth company is on track, underlying sales growth increased by 5.9%, while emerging markets grew by 12.1%. When it came to volume, growth registered at 3.4%, with pricing inching up by 2.4%.

Unilever’s hair brands performed particularly well, with expansion into new markets being a key focus over this period. TRESemmé made strong headway in Brazil, and recently launched in Indonesia and India. Clear also performed particularly well following its launch in the US, and is now making inroads into Australia. Meanwhile Dove Damage Therapy continued to drive growth across a number of markets, with Dove Men+Care launching in Brazil. Finally, Axe hair, which recently launched in Turkey, has formed a strong presence in Europe. Deodorants, oral care and skin cleansing products also continued to make good headway across Unilever’s key brands and geographies, with Dove notably delivering strong growth in deodorants and skin cleansing.

Paul Polman, ceo, said: “The Compass strategy and the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan are driving aligned actions across the business. We are seeing a steady improvement in the quality of our innovation, meeting the needs of consumers wherever they are. The organisational structure that we announced last year is already paying off and we are seeing benefits in terms of our agility and discipline in operational execution.”