Q1 Sales Rise at Beiersdorf As Nivea Gains 10%

• Beiersdorf AG’s Q1 sales rose 6.9% to approximately $2 billion. Net income was flat at $157 million. Consumer product sales rose 6.8%.

The performance is attributable to initial successes recorded by the new corporate strategy, the company said. In addition, Beiersdorf said it also benefited from a positive overall market trend in the first three months of 2012 after the weak business performance seen in Asia and Europe in the first quarter of the previous year. Positive calendar effects also contributed to the sales increase.

In the consumer business segment, Beiersdorf increased organic sales by 6.8% in the first three months of the current fiscal year.

Sales of the Nivea brand rose 10.1%, while Eucerin generated sales growth of 7.8%, continuing its strong prior-year performance. La Prairie recorded a decline in sales of 1.2%.

The global consumer markets turned in highly mixed performances. Europe recorded a 4% rise in sales. Germany saw 6% growth after a weak prior year. In Western Europe, sales grew by 1%, while 10.3% growth was registered in Eastern Europe, with Russia and Poland recording particularly dynamic performances. Sales in the Americas climbed 9.7%, with Beiersdorf’s Latin American operations being particularly successful (up 16%). Sales in North America were up slightly at 0.6%. The company recorded a 12.7% increase in sales in the Africa/Asia/Australia region.