new unilever ceo inherits disappointing sales performance - top air purifiers

LONDON (Reuters)-
Lower Unilever reportthan-Expected Fourth
Thursday's quarterly sales were affected by Latin American problems and weak growth in developed markets as Alan Jope, the new chief executive, took over.
The manufacturer of Dove soap and Jerry's ice cream said fourth.
Quarterly growth in basic sales 2. 9 percent.
The average analyst is expected to be 3.
The consensus forecast provided by the company shows 5%.
Jope, who has been with the company for more than 30 years, took over the company earlier this year.
He took over from Paul Polman, who retired after a decade as CEO, during which he pushed Unilever towards a corporate vision that values sustainability and profits.
The end of his term was damaged by a dispute with shareholders as he tried to change Britain-
The Dutch company is mainly headquartered in the Netherlands.
Jope said that Unilever is still considering the company's double
He told reporters that the issue was "important but not urgent ".
Jope currently seems to focus on improving the group's business trends, with sales at the bottom of the medium term --
Due to the vicious inflation in Argentina, the fierce competition in North America and the weak retail environment in France and Germany, the term target.
“Let me state. . .
In the early stage, my number will be to accelerate the growth of quality.
"This is a priority," Jope told analysts.
Unilever shares fell 2.
5% miss sales cover the audience-
Annual earnings exceeding expectations.
"As growth is weak but H2 margins are strong, we expect this to push for continued debate between Unilever's highest and lowest levels," Jefferies analysts said . ".
Unilever is full-
Annual sales growth 3.
1%, in line with the growth forecast at the bottom of its 3 to 5% forecast interval.
Looking ahead, the company said it expects 2019 of the market conditions to remain challenging and predicted that potential sales growth will reappear in the lower half of 3 to 5%, operating margins continue to improve, free cash flow again strong.
In order to reach the top half of the forecast, Jope said, he hopes Latin America will continue to improve and Southeast Asia will continue to improve.
He pointed out the problems of Argentina and Brazil, calling Latin America the most troublesome region in the world.
"Of course, we prefer the first half of the range, but in the current uncertain market conditions. . .
"The second half is where I want us to operate," Jope said . ".
He also pointed out that the company had predicted that M & A's role in driving sales growth was weakening as Blueair, the series of air purifiers it purchased in 2016, did not perform well in China.
The business has doubled in size since the acquisition, but has since shrunk to its original level.
Unilever is also prepared to allow the UK to leave the EU without a deal and store additional stocks for weeks to prevent supply disruptions.
The company said on Thursday it included deodorant made in the UK and ice cream made in continental Europe.
Jope has accepted Polman's 2020 target for Unilever after 2017 rejected Kraft Heinz's $143 billion acquisition.
The target operating profit margin is 20%.
He said Thursday that Unilever's 2020 target is still on track.
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said: "There is nothing new to this intention, but so far, at least the reality has not reached this goal . " Talking about Jope's focus on accelerating growth.
In the fourth quarter, Unilever blamed Argentina.
5% of the company's business is aimed at vicious inflation that has caused prices to soar by more than 50%, so sales have fallen by more than 20%.
But more broadly, sales in the United States are flat.
The same thing happened in Europe, although the company took 0.
Sales in the region increased by 8%.
Overall, potential sales in developed markets grew by only 0.
4% this quarter.
The company blamed the decline of France and competitive pressure in North America, especially ice cream and mayonnaise.
Unilever's annual turnover is £ 49.
6 billion euros ($57. 05 billion)
Potential sales increased by 3, excluding its split spread business.
1%, in line with expectations. Its full-
The basic income is 2 years.
36 euros per share, more than 2 euros expected by analysts. 31 per share. ($1 = 0. 8693 euros)