Unilever's Third Quarter Sales Growth

Unilever's sales exceeded expectations in Q3, supported by a strong ice cream demand. CFO Fernando Fernandez noted rising margins despite challenges and input cost increases.

Key Highlights

• Sales Growth: Underlying sales rose by 4.5%, surpassing the forecast of 4.2%.
• Annual Forecast: Unilever maintained its annual sales growth forecast of 3% to 5% and an operating margin of at least 18%.
• Operational Improvements: CEO Hein Schumacher emphasized ongoing improvements and the positive effects of fewer, larger innovations.

Market Reactions

• Analysts acknowledged the strong performance and noted the ice cream unit's recovery. Unilever shares rose over 3% in early trading on Thursday.

Overall, Unilever is on track with its business reinvigoration plans, highlighting successful cost management and innovation scaling.