Unilever Posts Lacklustre Results; Questions Raised About Long-Term Strategy (Western Europe Food and Drink Insight)

Unilever Posts Lacklustre Results; Questions Raised About Long-Term Strategy (Western Europe Food and Drink Insight): Anglo/Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever has posted lacklustre results for 2011 after being hit by weak volumes at its food division. Over the year Unilever's revenues increased by 5%, but profits were up by only 1% to EUR4.62bn. Volumes for Unilever's food unit declined by 1.2% during 2011 and during the year this decline accelerated, with volumes down by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Although this was offset by increased prices, the firm's inability to push through price increases without taking a volume hit is worrying for the longer term and highlights the fact that Unilever's food brand portfolio is