Danone confirms Actimel's performance boosting role

Groupe Danone SA officials are verifying that a 75% sales jump in the global dairy giant's Actimel yogurt beverage helped boost the corporation's coffers.

The Paris-based company's FY 2000 first-half financials enjoyed a 8.1% sales jump to reach 7.254 billion euros (US$6.728 billion) vs. 6.847 billion euros the same period one year ago, company leaders said Sept. 13 in confirming provisional results announced July 26.

"Historical data shows a rise of 5.9%, including an 8.1% like-for-like rise, a +3.7% for changes in exchange rates and a 5.9% decline reflecting disposals," Danone officials said.

The corporation's profits experienced a 3.3% increase, hitting 352 million euros compared to 341 million euros during 1999's first six months. Excluding a 28 million euro capital gain on disposals, profits rose 12.6%, executives said.

Danone also benefited from an operating margin increase from 10.2% to 10.6% with first-half results hitting the 770 million euro mark vs. 698 million euros during the same period last year.

For the U.S. market, Danone describes Actimel as a "dairy-based probiotic supplement beverage" that ingested each morning helps fortify the body's natural defenses. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the corporation claims that drinking the product every morning "helps to maintain (the) immune system."

Edited by Gerry Clark