Flu-Stricken Americans Help Reckitt Benckiser Top European Peers
This article is for subscribers only.
Americans coughed, sniffled and sneezed their way through a brutally cold winter. Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc was among those not complaining, as bumper sales of its flu remedies helped it post the best first-quarter growth among Europe’s major consumer-product companies.
The British maker of Strepsils sore-throat drops reported 5 percent revenue growth on better-than-expected sales of brands such as Mucinex decongestants in the U.S., leaving the likes of Nestle SA and Unilever trailing in its wake. The health unit -- which accounts for one-third of revenue and has expanded via acquisitions in recent years -- boosted sales 13 percent, the highest rate of growth in almost two years.