Unilever has reported a 3.3 percent decline in first-quarter sales due to currency headwinds, but underlying growth reached 3.8 percent. The company's power brands, including Dove, Vaseline and Liquid I.V., led the performance with strong volume growth.
Unilever reports 3.3 percent decline in first-quarter sales due to currency headwinds, but underlying growth reaches 3.8 percent. The growth is attributed to volume, with the company's ' power brands ' leading the performance.
These power brands, which include Dove, Vaseline and Liquid I.V. , have an annual turnover of at least 1 billion euros. Unilever's chief executive officer, Fernando Fernandez, stated that the company has started the year well with volume-led growth driven by its power brands and a positive performance across all business groups.
Fernandez also mentioned that there is a broad-based momentum across the emerging markets business, with a strong performance in India, and a good recovery in Latin America following the decisive actions taken by the company. He added that Unilever continues to move at speed to build a simpler, sharper company, with a structurally higher growth profile and a brand portfolio fit for the future.
The company's full-year 2026 outlook remains unchanged, with underlying sales growth to be at the bottom end of the company's multi-year guidance range of 4 percent to 6 percent, with at least 2 percent underlying volume growth. Unilever anticipates a modest improvement in underlying operating margin for the full year versus 20 percent in 2025. The company's strong volume growth was led by power brands, which grew underlying sales by 5 percent with 4 percent volume growth.
All business groups delivered volume growth, with strong volumes in home care driven by an acceleration in key emerging markets. The beauty and wellbeing division posted 3.6 percent underlying sales growth driven by continued strength in Dove and Vaseline, good momentum in the prestige brands, and a return to volume growth in Sunsilk. The company said wellbeing declined low-single digit against a very strong comparator in the first quarter.
Earlier this year, Unilever announced the merger of its foods business with McCormick in the U.S., and last year it turned its ice cream business into a standalone, publicly-listed entity called The Magnum Ice Cream Company. This month, Unilever agreed to purchase wellness brand Grüns, which sells gummy supplements filled with fruits, vegetables and prebiotic fiber, for an estimated $1.2 billion.
The company's progress in elevating its brands and improving operational execution means it remains confident of delivering on its guidance for the year ahead, despite heightened macroeconomic uncertainty
Unilever First-Quarter Sales Underlying Growth Power Brands Fernando Fernandez
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EXCLUSIVE: Weleda Cosmetics Posts 9.2 Percent Sales Growth, Moves Into New Categories in 2025Weleda Cosmetics posted 9.2 percent sales gains in 2025, when it moved into new product categories.
Read more »
Everything Is 20 Percent Off at Credo’s Biannual SaleWe found our favorite natural beauty products for 20 percent off during Credo’s Friends of Credo sale.
Read more »
Lions Pick Up Fifth-Year Option on Jahmyr Gibbs, Decline on LinebackerDetroit Lions make fifth-year option decisions on Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell.
Read more »
Seattle sees notable decline in bird counts as new report warns of urban biodiversity lossBird populations and diversity in Seattle’s parks and green spaces have declined significantly over the past two decades, according to a new analysis by Birds C
Read more »
Pew Research: Category of Guns That Includes ‘Assault Weapons’ Accounts for 3 Percent of Gun MurdersSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Robinhood (HOOD), Coinbase (COIN) plunge in crypto stock rout, outpacing bitcoin (BTC) declinePresident Trump reportedly rejected Iran's offer to end the U.S. blockade and open the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil prices surging 6%.
Read more »