Unilever reports increased fourth-quarter sales growth, helped by emerging markets
London — Unilever reported a bigger-than-expected acceleration in fourth-quarter sales growth on Thursday, helped by a stronger performance in emerging markets that saw the consumer goods maker end its tumultuous year on a higher note. The maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — which spent most of last year reviewing its business after rebuffing a $143bn takeover bid in February — said underlying sales rose 4%. Analysts, on average, were expecting 3.7%, according to a company-supplied consensus. That marks an improvement from 3% in the first half and 2.6% in the third quarter. Since the failed takeover bid by Kraft-Heinz, Unilever has bought back shares, committed to a margin target, struck a deal to sell its shrinking margarine and spreads business, and announced it wants to collapse its dual-headed Anglo-Dutch structure. In November, it said it favoured a single structure, but was delaying a decision on where it would be based, in part due to heightened political sensiti...
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