Danone has hailed its “strong” start to the year, and stressed its “increasingly diversified channel footprint” will help it weather the current global economic turbulence.
The French food giant saw global sales hit €6.84bn during the first three months of 2025, up 4.3% on a like-for-like basis, according to its Q1 trading update, published today.
In its home market of Europe, like-for-likes were up 2% to just under €2.4bn, helped by “further progress” by its Essential Dairy and Plant-Based (EDP) category – supported by functional products, particularly the YoPro, Alpro, and Actimel brands.
Danone’s performance in China, North Asia & Oceania was also particularly strong, with like-for-like sales climbing by 9.9% to €840m – driven by market share growth via its infant formula brands.
The business said it had seen “broad-based growth” across all categories globally, with its Specialised Nutrition operation the standout performer, with like-for-likes up 5.3% to €2.3bn. Danone’s Waters business saw sales climb 4.1% to €1.16bn, while its EDP business saw sales increase by 3.7% to €3.38bn.
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Danone’s guidance for the full year remained in line with its mid-term ambitions, with like-for-like sales expected to increase by between 3% and 5% over the course of the year and recurring operating income growing faster than sales.
It follows a turnaround in its fortunes in 2024, where it surpassed analyst expectations.
“We have delivered a strong start to the year, across all categories, demonstrating the strength of our execution and the relevance of our health-focused portfolio,” said Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
“In the current uncertain environment, our science-based innovations, our consumer and patient-centric approach, and our increasingly diversified channel footprint further contribute to the resilience of our business. We are confident that 2025 will be another year where we deliver on our value creation model, aligned with our mid-term ambitions.”
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