What was Unilever's first-quarter underlying sales growth, and how did it compare to analyst expectations?

Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth of 3.8%, which beat market expectations of 3.6% as per a company-compiled consensus of analysts.

Which product categories drove Unilever's outperformance in the first quarter, and what strategic shift is CEO Fernando Fernandez pursuing?

Strong demand for Unilever's home care brands and beauty brands—including Dove and Vaseline—drove the sales outperformance; concurrently, CEO Fernando Fernandez is reshaping the company to focus on personal care and beauty, following the spin-off of its ice cream business last year and the planned hive-off of its food division via a merger with U.S. spice maker McCormick.

Unilever Beats Sales Forecasts Driven by Home and Beauty Brands

Apr 29, 2026

Unilever reported Q1 underlying sales growth of 3.8%, exceeding expectations due to strong demand for home and beauty brands. The company plans to merge its food division with McCormick while maintaining its 2026 profit forecast.

reuters

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