Unilever announces fourth-quarter profit surge

The consumer goods giant posted a 3% increase in sales to EUR10.2bn during the period.

Increases in selling prices had outweighed a fall in sales volumes during the economic slowdown, it said.

The company added that it was addressing the needs of its “increasingly value-concious shoppers” with lower unit prices and larger value packs of its well-known brands.

The company’s net profit for the full year was EUR5.3bn, on sales of EUR40.5bn.

Unilever reported increased sales across all of the sectors it operates in during the year: savoury, dressing and spreads (8%), ice cream and beverages (6%), personal care (7%) and home care (10%).

Paul Polman, chief executive, said: “In 2008 the business made further solid progress. We achieved top-line growth ahead of our target range and, faced with unprecedented input cost pressures, protected profit by early pricing action and savings programmes.”

Unilever’s brands include Sunsilk shampoos, Signal toothpaste, Dove soap, Flora, Ben & Jerry’s Magnum, Surf and Cif.

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