Unilever chief warns weakened global demand may last further six months

Unilever CEO Alan Jope doesn't see global consumption patterns recovering until the second half of this year. Picture: Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit

Consumer goods maker Unilever expects global consumption patterns to be suppressed in the first half of this year, even as business returns to normal in eastern Asia and markets in Africa and Latin America show resiliency, its chief executive has said.

“We still hold that the first half of this year will be a continued period of suppressed consumption ... with that starting to come back in the second half of this year and then next year,” chief executive Alan Jope said.