Market growth continued to slow as macro-economic pressures affected consumer demand, with emerging market growth remaining weak and a sharp slowdown in China. It wasn’t much better in Europe as both volume and price declined, though this was down to the ice cream category, and there were positive signs at least in North America, while the personal care category posted on of the better performances. This sector growth slowed in the third quarter, in part due to slower markets and in part due to the conditions in China. For example deodorants’ sector benefited from a strong performance of Dove, the launch of Rexona Anti-bacterial Protection in Latin America and the success of the compressed aerosol range in Europe.
by B. Briasco