Price hikes help Unilever achieve 8.4% Q1 growth

Consumer goods giant Unilever has reported an 8.4% rise in first-quarter sales, helped by price hikes and emerging market growth.

The Anglo-Dutch maker of brands like Dove and Knorr is battling high input costs from rising commodity prices such as crude and vegetable oils, and slow growth in developed nations. It also cautioned that emerging market growth has started to slow, especially in eastern Europe and Russia.

“The competition is intense, we have seen some moderation in emerging market growth while developed markets remain muted, but we have had a good start to the year and we are becoming more competitive,” finance director Jean-Marc Huet told a briefing.