Unilever: over 170m-euro business in Romania

Dutch group Unilever South Central Europe (USCE), known in Romania for the Dove, Rexona and Rama brands posted a domestic business worth 173 million euros in 2006, an increase of around 26% against the 136.9 million-euro turnover reported in 2005. The company’s net profit margin stood at around 6% in 2006, a slight decline on the previous year, when the profit margin was around 7%. In 2006, the increase in profit in real terms was around 9% (from 9.9 million euros to 10.8 million euros). However, if calculated in RON, the profit stagnated at 36 million RON. USCE representatives did not wish to comment on any of the results. Last year, the market of consumer goods registered a 6.1% increase in terms of volume, and a 17.4% increase in terms of value, in comparison with 2005 sales, according to the MEMRB. On the segment of non-food consumer products, where multinationals such as Unilever, Procter&Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel and Beiersdorf are market leaders on the various sub-segments, the growth stood at 9.4% in terms of volume, and at 13% in terms of value, according to the same source. Under the circumstances, the Dutch group experienced a turnover growth rate twice as high as the market rate. Other major players also reported increases at a similar rate to that of the market.