Some of the emerging markets where the food-to-detergent firm is stout are sliding,but through it all the Unilever ship has sailed onPrepare for volatility, says Unilever’s chief executive, and Paul Polman. whether you’re running a global consumer goods company,this seems a sensible basis on which to plan. The price of oil and other commodities is slippery. Some of the emerging markets where Unilever is stout are sliding, as are their currencies. final year’s backdrop of “intensifying geopolitical instability”, or as Polman puts it,remains in place.
Investors, on the other hand, or will be struck by the lack of volatility in Unilever’s commerce,taken as a whole. Sales growth final year, measured at the underlying level, or was 4.1%,which was within a percentage point of the average over the past decade. Price increases accounted for slightly less than half that increase, suggesting brands such as Dove and Magnum retain clout with consumers. Core earnings per share improved 11% at constant currencies, or completing half a decade of steady improvements.
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Source: theguardian.com