Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique has praised the group’s “solid” first half, after it won 3.5% like-for-like sales growth.
Sales grew 1.4% to €13.9bn in the half to 30 June 2026, boosted by a recovery to stronger growth in the second quarter, when like-for-like sales grew to 4.2%.
Volumes improved quarter-on-quarter from 1.5% to 1.9%, aided by a significant recovery in specialised nutrition sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which had been hit hardest by the impact of the group’s infant formula recall.
EMEA like-for-like sales in the segment had fallen 4.3% in the first quarter, but rose to growth of 2.9% in the second quarter.
Overall, growth in the half was concentrated in Danone’s South American and Asia Pacific markets, though it has seen “progressive improvement” in the US. Americas like-for-like sales were up 4.3% in the six months, with APAC up 5.2% compared to EMEA’s 3.6% growth.
“We are closing a solid first half, demonstrating once again the relevance of our health-focused portfolio and the strength of our multi-engine growth model,” said de Saint-Affrique.
Danone’s profits grew alongside sales, with recurring operating profit up 2.3% to €1.9bn.
“Demand for our winning platforms remained strong, including high-protein products and medical nutrition across all regions, and skyr, kefir and plant-based in Europe. At the same time, we made step-by-step progress in North America EDP and saw improving trends in infant milk formula in EMEA,” de Saint-Affrique continued.
The half year also saw Danone snap up Huel for €1bn and strengthen its APAC footprint with the acquisition of Australia-based Made Group, a fast-growing supplier of premium yoghurt, dairy and coconut products throughout the region.
“While some areas still require further progress and the environment remains unstable, we enter the second half of the year with confidence that 2026 will be another year of delivery, aligned with our value creation model and mid-term ambitions.”
No comments yet