06.29.12
In the personal care segment, sales increased 8% to $2.4 billion. Operating profit rose 3% to $399 million. The improvement included benefits from sales growth and cost savings, partially offset by input cost inflation and increased marketing, research and general expenses.
Sales in North America increased 1%, while sales in Europe rose 4%. Sales increased about 17% in K-C International. Sales volumes were up 12%, with double-digit growth in each major region (Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East/Eastern Europe/Africa). Volume performance was strong in a number of markets, including Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam.