18th Apr 2016 06:17
LONDON (Alliance News) - Consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC on Monday said it delivered strong like-for-like sales growth in its Health and Hygiene product portfolios in the first quarter, offset by a flat performance in its Home business and a decline in sales for its Portfolio Brands.
Reckitt, which owns brands ranging from Durex condoms to Nurofen painkillers and Dettol cleaning products, said like-for-like sales for its Health product business grew 11% in the quarter to the end of March. It saw good performances from its Durex range, Gaviscon heartburn relief and Strepsils throat lozenges in the quarter.
Hygiene product sales were more muted, up 1.0% in the quarter, with a good start to the year for Finish dishwasher tablets partially offset by a relatively weaker performance for Lysol sanitisers in the US.
Home product sales were flat in the quarter on a like-for-like basis, with good growth for Air Wick air fresheners, while Portfolio Brands sales were down 2.0%, with a solid performance from laundry detergents and fabric softeners in a tough market.
"We had a good start to the year despite continued challenging market conditions. We are pleased to see growth across both developed and developing markets as we pursue our strategy of focusing on the health and hygiene powerbrands in our key powermarkets, supported by continued investment in innovation," said Chief Executive Rakesh Kapoor.
Kapoor added Reckitt is on track to meet its full-year net revenue and operating margin targets.
By Sam Unsted; [email protected]; @SamUAtAlliance
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