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In results issued on Thursday, the Anglo-Dutch company said lockdowns had affected its haircare portfolio in China and India, while skincare sales were also down.

Unilever makes products including Dove soap, Lynx and Sure deodorants and Toni & Guy haircare and styling products, as well as Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Pitkethly expected changes in consumer behaviour to persist after lockdowns ended and said the business was adapting.

He said Unilever believed people were likely to spend “more time at home, more time cooking — which is good for us — and maybe less personal care occasions, this nesting idea.”

Unilever reported a boom in sales of household cleaning products such as Cif cleaners and Domestos bleach, both of which reported double-digit underlying sales growth in the first quarter.

Alan Jope, chief executive, added that while “people are shaving less,” a shift to online buying would favour digital brands such as Unilever-owned Dollar Shave Club.

Photo by Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters files

“We are almost certainly going into a period of low economic growth and we’ll adjust to that by prioritizing the value-for-money products in our portfolio — we’re going to be dealing with that for a couple of years,” he said.

“Secondly there is no doubt people’s concern about (household) hygiene has increased . . . and the shift to online digital consumption of media and online shopping is something that will be permanent. We will adjust our approach to reflect that.”