Below are a few interesting numbers and bits of
information
Unilever
Profits rose 29 percent in 2008
The transnational corporation closed 2008 with a net
profit of 5.03 billion euros (6.4 million dollars), up
29 percent from 2007 in current exchange terms, despite
the drop in sales attributed to the economic recession
in the fourth quarter of the year.
The company reported a pre-tax profit of 7.13 billion
euros (9.1 billion dollars), representing a 38 percent
rise as compared to the previous year. Revenue increased
by one percent to 40.52 billion euros (51.71 billion
dollars).
The products that brought in the greatest income for the
company were home care products, and the ones that
generated the least income were ice creams and soft
drinks.
Danone
Earnings up 21 percent
In the last fiscal year (2008), the French food giant
registered a net profit of 1.16 billion euros (1.48
billion dollars), an increase of 21 percent with respect
to the previous year. Sales volume reached 15.22 billion
euros (19.41 billion dollars), up 8.4 percent.
Despite these positive results, spokespersons of the
transnational corporation say that the drop in demand
will probably prevent the company from attaining its
target of 8 to 10 percent increase in 2009.
Pepsico
Earned 9 percent less in 2008,
announces layoffs, and makes Calderón happy
Pepsico
had a net profit of 5.14 billion dollars in 2008,
representing a 9.1 percent drop as compared to the
previous year.
Revenue reached a total of 43.25 billion dollars, up 9.5
percent, following a 10.8 percent increase in sales of
the Pepsico American Food division, while
Pepsico American Beverages brought in 1.4
percent less revenue, and Pepsico International
saw a 19.3 percent rise in sales.
In the last quarter of 2008, restructuring costs and
asset write-downs brought the company’s net profits down
by 43 percent, to 719 million dollars, while sales grew
by 3.1 percent, to 12.73 billion dollars.
These results prompted
Pepsico
to announce in late October 2008 that it would cut 3,300
jobs under a productivity improvement plan. Company
sources say that with this plan it expects to save up to
1.2 billion over the next three years. Forty percent of
the projected layoffs will result from the closure of
six plants and other measures aimed at rationalizing
production.
Pepsi
announced last December that it was closing three plants
and 30 distribution centers in Mexico, in
addition to eliminating 700 routes in that country, all
of which translates into 2,200 workers out of a job. In
February, during the Davos meeting, PepsiCo
Executive Director Inda Nooyi met with Mexican
President Felipe Calderón and informed him of
plans to open a new plant in Celaya (Guanajuato),
with an initial investment of 100 million dollars.
According to official sources,
Calderón celebrated the undertaking and declared
that it was further proof that Mexico “was on
the right track as a destination for investments.”
Of the 2,200 laid off workers, not a word. Apparently
that’s only a minor detail..
Perdigão
More than 25 thousand workers in Brazil’s poultry
industry forced to take leave
Due to the adjustment of stocks, more than 25 thousand
people in Brazil’s poultry industry were forced to go on
vacation. As of late last year, the industry’s
companies, both large and small, ordered their workers
to take forced leave, with the aim of adjusting their
offer to current global demand. With this measure, they
are acting on the recommendation of the Brazilian
Association of Chicken Exporters (Abef)
to cut production by 20 percent. In
Perdigão
alone, almost 9,000 workers from five different units
were sent on forced vacation, and more workers are
expected to follow.
Coca-Cola
Earnings down by 3 percent in 2008
Last year,
The Coca-Cola Company
had a net profit of 5.81 billion dollars, representing a
3 percent drop with respect to 2007. The company says
its results were hurt by restructuring costs and asset
write-downs.
Sales figures reached 31.94 billion dollars, up 11
percent from last year. The increase in sales was
registered across all the regions the company operates
in, with growth ranging from 6 percent, in North
America, to 18 percent in Latin America.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, Coca-Cola suffered
an 18 percent decline in profit, earning a total of 995
million dollars, while revenue fell 3 percent to 7.13
billion dollars, dragged down by the 12 percent drop in
Eurasia and Africa, and the 3 percent drop
in Europe.
Coca-Cola
says it has implemented a number of measures that will
run to 2011 and will result in annualized savings of 500
million dollars. No more details were provided by the
company’s spokespersons, but in view of current
corporate trends it wouldn’t be surprising if such
measures include job cuts.
Another interesting fact is that the consultancy firm
Interbrand placed the
Coca-Cola
brand first in its Best Global Brand ranking, valuing it
at 66.67 billion dollars.
Coca-Cola
products are consumed in more than 200 countries around
the world, with over 1.5 billion units sold daily.