Nestle - 1st Quarter 2004 : Sales in Swiss Francs Up 3.5 percent, Organic Growth 5.1 percent.

(From Hugin)

* Organic growth within target range, at 5.1 percent * Real internal growth of 3.4 percent reflects strong volume growth in the Americas, as well as Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa * Good start underlines confidence in achieving 2004 objectives Peter Brabeck, CEO of Nestle, said: "The Group has, as forecast, accelerated real internal growth to 3.4 percent, while pricing contributed at a more normal level of 1.7 percent. Growth was particularly strong in Zone Americas and in Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa. Nestle Waters was off to a challenging first quarter, but we are confident that it will see an acceleration in the months to come. Product-wise, the best performances were achieved by PetCare, Coffee, Milk products, Nutrition and Ice Cream, as well as by Alcon. The good start into 2004 should allow us to attain our objectives for the year, both in terms of growth as well as profitability." Vevey, April 21, 2004 - The Nestle Group's consolidated Swiss franc sales for the first quarter of 2004 amounted to CHF 20.4 billion, an increase of 3.5 percent over the comparable period of the preceding year. Organic growth improved to 5.1 percent, with real internal growth of 3.4 percent and a more normal pricing level of 1.7 percent. Divestments, net of acquisitions, reduced reported sales by 1.3 percent, reflecting mainly the sale of the low-margin beverage distribution business Trinks in Germany. The negative foreign exchange impact was only 0.3 percent. +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Sales by Management Responsibilities and Geographic Area | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Jan.-March | Jan.-March | Organic | Real | | | | | Growth | Internal | | | | | | Growth | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | | 2004 | 2003 | Jan.-March | Jan.-March | | | | | 2004 | 2004 | |-------------+-------------------------+------------+--------------| | | in CHF million | % | % | |-------------+-------------------------+------------+--------------| | Zone Europe | 6'886 | 6'606 | +0.4 | -0.7 | | * | | | | | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | Zone | 6'302 | 5'978 | +8.0 | +4.7 | | Americas | | | | | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | Zone Asia, | 3'472 | 3'291 | +7.1 | +5.5 | | Oceania | | | | | | and Africa | | | | | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | Nestle | 1'810 | 1'719 | +2.4 | +3.4 | | Waters | | | | | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | Other | 1'939 | 2'119 | +11.1 | +10.2 | | Activities | | | | | | ** | | | | | |-------------+------------+------------+------------+--------------| | Total | 20'409 | 19'713 | +5.1 | +3.4 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ * 2003 sales re-stated because of Eismann. ** Mainly pharmaceutical products and joint ventures; Eismann, a frozen food distributor, has been moved from Zone Europe to Other Activities, because it is under a new management due to its ...