Consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on Tuesday reported a 7% growth in standalone net profit for the first quarter (April-June) of FY21 at Rs 1,881 crore. However, the company saw domestic consumer growth fall by 7%.
During the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, the company had reported a standalone net profit of Rs 1,755 crore.
The company reported a 4.43% rise in total income during the period under review to Rs 10,716 crore.
Health, Hygiene and Nutrition, which constitutes 80% of HULâs portfolio delivered healthy mid-single digit domestic consumer growth, the company said.
In and personal care segment, âSkin Cleansingâ led by Lifebuoyâs products saw strong double-digit growth across formats, the company said.
âWe have significantly stepped up capacities in both hand wash and hand sanitizers to meet the consumer needs. Lifebuoy is making the âgood habit of handwashingâ viral with campaigns across platforms,â the company said in a statement.
While hair care saw pickup in consumer demand in the latter part of the quarter, performance of skin, color cosmetics and deos being relatively discretionary in nature was impacted severely on account of supply led issues and closure of some of the channels that are extremely relevant for the categories.
HUL said that foods, tea and coffee delivered strong performance with double digit growths riding on the âIn-home, wellness and immunityâ trends, Foods, Tea and Coffee delivered strong performance with double digit growths.
However, ice-creams, foods solutions and HULâs vending businesses which are driven primarily by out of home consumption were massively impacted by the lockdown and closure of restaurants / eateries.
Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, said, "While constraints continue due to restrictions in several parts of the country and the near-term demand outlook remains uncertain, we remain well positioned to drive competitive, profitable and responsible growth. The long-term structural opportunity of FMCG in India also remains intact.