Beiersdorf posts healthy Q1 results
Product streamlining helped boost sales
The north German Nivea producer Beiersdorf has posted a 6.9% increase in group sales to €1.53bn with consumer sector sales which include the Nivea ranges up by 6.8% at €1.27bn. Group operating earnings, discounting special or one-off factors, went up sharply from €167 million to €198m with post-tax profits stable at around €125m.
Beiersdorf said that the product streamlining strategy is reflected in consumer division sales with positive market trends. These trends were stronger in the European and Asia regions because of weak figures in the like, year earlier quarter. Calculated at current exchange rates, consumer sector sales went up 9%.
Nivea sales increased by 10.1% over first quarter 2011 with good growth coming from Nivea Deo, Nivea Sun and Nivea Body Care. Sales of the Nivea Hair range dipped in the wake of the product range sort out.
Sales in Germany went up 6% but by only 1% in western Europe as a whole. Sales in eastern Europe by contrast went up 10.3%. Sales in North America rose by 0.6% but good growth was reported from the La Prairie range. Latin American growth was 16% with strong growth in Brazil. The combined Africa-Asia-Australasia region grew by 12.7% with positive trends in South Africa and Thailand.
The company noted a slight weakening in demand worldwide owing to global economic factors with volatile crude oil prices affecting raw materials costs.
