AMSTERDAM (AP) — Consumer goods giant Unilever, maker of
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, said Tuesday that sales slowed in the
fourth quarter due to weakness in emerging markets and are expected to
remain muted until later in 2014.
The company said "underlying"
sales — that is, stripping out the impact of currency effects and new
businesses — rose 4.1 percent. While the figure was better than analysts
had expected, it was entirely reliant on demand in emerging markets,
which slowed.
Developed markets like the U.S. and Europe are not improving quickly enough to benefit the company.
"The
growth that you see in the United States and some people get excited
about is not enough to make a difference" to Unilever, Chief Executive
Paul Polman said on a conference call with analysts. He repeated the
company’s goal of maintaining margins while growing faster than the
markets it competes in, with brands such as Dove soaps, Vaseline, Axe
deodorants, Omo laundry detergent, and many others.
For the full
year 2013, sales fell 3 percent to 49.8 billion euros ($67.5 billion),
mostly due to the strong euro, and net profit was up 9 percent to 5.3
billion euros. Unilever PLC managed to improve its operating margins to
15.1 percent from 13.6 percent. It did not release quarterly profit and
loss figures.
The company said demand in emerging markets has been
dampened by weaker currencies, and in developed economies it has seen
little improvement — despite a rise in economic indicators. The U.S.
jobs market has been improving steadily and the European Union emerged
from recession last year.
Underlying sales, the figure most
closely watched by financial analysts, seeks to strip out the effect of
currency movements and the buying and selling of businesses. The 4.1
percent gain was slightly worse than the 4.3 percent the company showed
for the year 2013 taken as a whole. Actual sales fell by 6.4 percent to
11.8 billion euros, mostly due to the stronger euro.
In developed
markets, underlying sales fell 1.7 percent, half due to volume falls and
half due to lower selling prices. In emerging markets, underlying sales
grew 8.4 percent, with volume growth of more than 5 percent and price
increases making up the balance.
Shares, which have lagged those of competitors in recent months, rose 3.9 percent to 29.95 euros in early
Amsterdam trading.
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