DE4CC0DE-5FC3-4494-BCBF-4D50B00366B5
A-Brands

Reckitt Benckiser Cuts Full-Year Forecast Again As New CEO Takes Over

By Steve Wynne-Jones
Share this article
Reckitt Benckiser Cuts Full-Year Forecast Again As New CEO Takes Over

British household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser has cut its full-year sales forecast for the second time this year, blaming a drop in retail orders for Mucinex in the United States and a drop in demand for its Enfamil baby products in China.

The Durex condom and Lysol disinfectant maker said on Tuesday it now expected full-year like for like sales growth to range from flat to up 2%, down from its previous target of 2% to 3%, which marked its second forecast cut this year.

Operating Margins

The company also said it expected to see a modest decline in adjusted operating margins for the year as it pours more money into its brands. The company had earlier expected margins to be at the same level as last year.

Reported sales rose 5.3% in the third quarter to 3.29 billion pounds ($4.3 billion), missing analysts' forecast of 3.32 billion pounds, according to a company supplied consensus.

Reckitt blamed cautious purchasing of its Mucinex and Delsym cold and flu products by U.S. retailers ahead of the flu season and a drop in demand for its Enfamil baby food products in China for its weak performance in the three month period .

ADVERTISEMENT

New CEO

The quarterly report is the first for new Chief Executive Laxman Narsimhan who in September took over from long-time CEO Rakesh Kapoor.

“RB’s performance in Q3 was disappointing," Narsimhan commented. "This performance is a reflection of an extended period of significant change and disruption in the company. I am prioritising execution and operational performance as a matter of urgency."

News by Reuters, edited by ESM. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

Get the week's top grocery retail news

The most important stories from European grocery retail direct to your inbox every Thursday

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.