Beiersdorf continues on its profitable growth path

• Group sales up 6.0%
• Consumer lifts sales by 5.6%
• tesa achieves sales growth of 7.8%
• Guidance for 2018 confirmed

Hamburg, October 30, 2018 – Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, continued on its profitable growth path during the first nine months of the current financial year. Group sales climbed organically by 6.0%. At €5.402 billion, nominal sales were up 2.3% on the previous year’s figure of €5.281 billion.

“We promised profitable growth. And we have delivered. Both Consumer and tesa have posted strong growth rates over recent years. We continued this successful path in the first nine months of 2018 with significant sales increases that outperformed the market and with further gains in market shares. Our business strategy has made Beiersdorf an internationally successful and highly competitive company. We therefore have every reason for optimism about the future of our company,” said Stefan F. Heidenreich, CEO of Beiersdorf AG.

Group sales climbed organically by 6.0% in the reporting period. At €5.402 billion, nominal Group sales were up 2.3% year on year (previous year: €5.281 billion). Acquisition-driven structural changes led to an increase in sales of 0.4 percentage points. Exchange rate effects had a negative effect on sales performance, resulting in a decrease of 4.1 percentage points.

The Consumer Business Segment achieved strong organic sales growth of 5.6% in the reporting period. In nominal terms, sales rose by 1.4% to €4.395 billion against the prior-year figure of €4.336 billion.

NIVEA sales were up 2.7%. The Derma business unit, which includes the Eucerin and Aquaphor brands, ended the first nine months of the year with sales up by 6.3%. Sales at Healthcare, which includes the Hansaplast and Elastoplast brands, were 1.3% lower than the prior-year level. La Prairie once again achieved a substantial hike in growth of 46.7%.

Organic sales in the Europe region grew by 4.7%. At €2.253 billion, nominal sales were up 3.1% on the previous year’s figure of €2.185 billion. In Western Europe, there was a 4.6% increase in sales. In Eastern Europe, sales growth reached 4.9%.

Organic sales in the Americas region rose by 1.5% year on year. At €754 million, nominal sales were down 7.2% on the prior-year figure of €813 million due to negative exchange rate effects. North America experienced strong sales growth of 8.1%. In Latin America, overall sales were down 2.6% on the same period of the previous year.

The Africa/Asia/Australia region recorded a substantial rise in sales of 9.8%. In nominal terms, sales rose by 3.7% to €1.388 billion against the prior-year figure of €1.338 billion.

tesa has recorded substantial sales gains in 2018 against an already strong prior-year period. In organic terms, tesa grew by a sizable 7.8% in the first nine months of the year. Acquisition-driven structural changes led to an increase in sales of 1.8 percentage points. Exchange rate effects had a negative effect on sales performance, resulting in a decrease of 3.0 percentage points. Nominal sales rose by 6.6% to €1.007 billion against the prior-year figure of €945 million.

There were no significant changes in the Group’s net assets and financial position in the reporting period compared with December 31, 2017.

Beiersdorf anticipates sales growth in the Consumer Business Segment of around 5% in financial year 2018. The EBIT margin from operations is expected to slightly exceed the prior-year figure.

In the tesa Business Segment, sales growth of 5–6% is predicted for 2018. The EBIT margin from operations is expected to be slightly below the prior-year figure.

Based on the forecasts for the two business segments, Beiersdorf expects Group sales growth of around 5%, with the consolidated EBIT margin from operations on a par with the prior-year level.