FRANCE: Asia drives buoyant drinks growth at Danone

By just-drinks.com editorial team | 24 April 2006

Groupe Danone saw strongest growth from its drinks division during the first quarter of 2006, driven by rising sales in Asia.

The French group, whose beverage brands include Evian and Volvic, saw sales from its drinks unit rise 11.8% to EUR947m (US$1.2bn).

Group sales during the three-month period were up 9%, a performance that led finance director Antoine Giscard d'Estaing to say Danone was "very, very confident" about its outlook.

"We are running on all engines," he said late last week during a conference call. "We are very, very confident about our objectives. We haven't changed them because we will await product launches in the second quarter. We will look at (our earnings objectives) in the second quarter, which is very important."

Danone confirmed its full-year targets of sales growth of between 5-7% and "low double-digit growth" in earnings per share.

Sectors: Soft drinks, Water

Companies: Danone, Evian