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On 9 February, we announced strong growth results for the full year 2022, with 9.0% underlying sales growth and 14.5% turnover growth compared to the same period last year.
This set of results marks the first time we have reported on our full-year performance since restructuring as five new Business Groups, with each fully responsible for its strategy, growth and profit delivery globally.
“Our new operating model is already unlocking a culture of bolder and more rapid decision-making with improved accountability,” said Unilever CEO Alan Jope. “We continue to improve our growth profile, with the sale of the global Tea business and the acquisition of Nutrafol. We are increasingly realising the benefits from the reshaped portfolio, accelerated savings delivery and improved execution.
“There is more to do, but the changes we have made mean that we start 2023 with momentum, setting us up well for delivering another year of higher growth, which remains our first priority.”
Here’s a deeper dive into the performance highlights from each Business Group, and how innovation from our brands is driving this positive momentum.
Within our Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, the Hair Care category saw mid-single-digit growth, largely driven by Latin America, India and Turkey, with strong performances from Sunsilk and Nexxus.
In Skin Care, South Asia and South East Asia delivered strong growth, helped by Lifebuoy and the roll-out of our Vaseline premium Gluta-Hya innovation. Read more about some of Vaseline’s recent innovations here.
Our Prestige Beauty brands also performed well, with strong contributions from Paula’s Choice and Hourglass which continued its expansion into China, as well as Living Proof, which entered into the bond-building premium hair care category. Read more about our Prestige Beauty business here.
And in our Health & Wellbeing category, Liquid I.V. and OLLY drove strong double-digit growth. The acquisition of Nutrafol, a leading provider of hair wellness products, was completed in July. Read more about our Health & Wellbeing business here.
In our Personal Care Business Group, the Deodorants category performed strongly. This was supported by continued premiumisation and innovations such as the 72-hour protection technology from Rexona (also called Degree). Read more about Rexona here.
Growth in our Skin Cleansing category was supported by premium innovations such as the Dove deep moisture body wash with microbiome nutrient serum that delivers a further improved skin care experience. Learn more about Unilever’s scientific work to explore the microbiome here.
Oral Care growth was helped by the relaunch of Pepsodent with increased naturals and efficacy credentials in South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
In Home Care, our Fabric Cleaning category delivered very strong performances in South Asia, Brazil, Turkey and Vietnam with modest sales growth in Europe and China. Once again, there were particularly strong contributions from OMO and Radiant. Read about our Dirt Is Good laundry brands here.
Our Fabric Enhancers category grew high single digits, with Comfort delivering strong growth in Latin America, South Asia and Turkey. Home & Hygiene grew slightly.
The biggest category in this Business Group, Scratch Cooking Aids, delivered mid-single-digit growth. South East Asia, Africa and Latin America performed strongly, led by our Knorr brand.
Our Dressings category had a strong year, supported by continued high growth of Hellmann’s, particularly in the US. Read more about how Hellmann’s is growing here.
Our business-to-business arm, Unilever Food Solutions, delivered double-digit growth and almost recovered to pre-pandemic volume levels, helped by consumers eating out-of-home more frequently.
Our Ice Cream category grew strongly, with out-of-home sales continuing to recover after the pandemic.
Our Magnum, Cornetto and Carte D’Or brands delivered positive volume growth, supported by new variant innovations such as Magnum Remix, which has launched across 65 countries, and new Cornetto variants in Turkey, South East Asia and China.
Read more about our Wall’s brand here and discover how we’re innovating in Ice Cream to drive growth here.
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