(Reuters) – Unilever reported a 4.4 percent rise in first-quarter underlying sales, above expectations, driven by renewed customer appeal for its products, the retail giant said. consumer goods Thursday.
The manufacturer of Dove soaps and Ben & Jerry’s ice creams reported underlying sales of 15 billion euros in the first quarter. Analysts were expecting an increase of 3%, according to a consensus provided by the company.
On the London Stock Exchange, Unilever shares rose 4.40% at 07:45 GMT.
Consumer goods companies are trying to recover volumes lost after months of price hikes aimed at offsetting the inflationary crisis.
The group increased its sales volumes by 2.2% over the period, its second quarter of growth in a row after several consecutive quarters of decline. It also increased its prices by 2.2% during the quarter. Analysts on average expected an increase in sales volumes of 1.2% and prices of 1.8%.
Unilever said it was confident in its ability to achieve sustained volume growth and maintained its outlook for the full year.
“We are increasingly confident in our ability to deliver sustained volume growth while accelerating the expansion of gross margins,” Chief Executive Hein Schumacher said in a statement.
The group gradually slowed its price increases over the course of 2023, a trend that continued in the first quarter of this year.
(Reporting Agata Rybska; Dimitri Rhodes, editing by Kate Entringer)
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