Consumer goods maker Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has posted a 17 per cent growth in profits at Rs 807 crore in the second quarter of the fiscal. The company’s net sales grew 11.5 per cent at Rs 6,155 crore during the July-September quarter, in line with market expectations.
The overall growth in the quarter was impacted due to the budget rationalisation in the canteen stores department (CSD), which contributes about six per cent to the overall sales for the company.
The domestic consumer business grew by 16 per cent on back of new product launches. “Our consistent performance is being driven by a relentless focus on brand building, bigger and better innovations and disciplined execution in the marketplace,” said Harish Manwani, Chief Operating Officer, Unilever Ltd, at a press conference here.While soaps and detergents segment grew by 22 per cent year-on-year, personal products segment was up by 12 per cent. The gross margins rose by 123 basis points, which is largely due to price hikes by the company in the last few quarters.
The maker of products such as Dove, Kissan, Lux and Bru, said personal products grew 12 per cent, while oral care registered volume led double-digit growth. Beverages and packaged foods grew 10 per cent driven by key brands
The Board of Directors declared an interim dividend of Rs 4.5 per equity share of face value of Re 1 each. In addition, an amount of Rs 8 per share has been declared as a special dividend.