Beiersdorf, the parent company of Nivea, La Prairie and Eucerin, has reported overall sales growth of 12.3 per cent for the first half of the year to 3.87 billion euros (AUD$6.21 billion).
All of the multinational’s geographic regions enjoyed the uplift – 11.7 per cent growth in the Americas, 10.5 per cent in Africa/Asia/Australia and 7.7 per cent in Europe.
China was the main driver of the global uptick, says Beiersdorf, notably through increased sales of Coppertone suncare products and online sales led by Alibaba’s Tmall.
Nivea, the company’s flagship brand, reported a 9.1 per cent rise in organic sales in the first half of the year, by contrast to the same period in 2020. La Prairie, which was strongly impacted by the downturn in travel retail, resurged strongly with year-on-year growth of 41 per cent.
Vincent Warnery, CEO of Beiersdorf, noted that the multinational had performed above pre-pandemic level during the first half.
L’Occitane was also on a roll during its FY2022 first quarter, with sales surging 27.7 per cent to 337.2 million euros (AUD$541.5 million).
China was a key driver with sales up 28.7 per cent for the period. But markets impacted by Covid-19 restrictions during the same period last year, including Hong Kong, Brazil, Russia and Japan, rebounded strongly with double and triple growth.
Online sales dropped by 15.7 per cent over the first quarter as bricks-and-mortar stores worldwide re-opened. But e-commerce revenues still accounted for 34.8 per cent of L’Occitane’s total sales in Q1.
The company’s Elemis brand continued to be a highlight with sales of the British prestige skincare brand rising 23.1 per cent.