Reckitt Benckiser says Dettol demand driven higher by coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak has helped to drive greater demand for Dettol

The company said it is also working alongside public health authorities across the world in a bid to provide people in areas affected by the virus with more information about the necessary hygiene measures.

It added that the outbreak has resulted in "increased online activity" for its consumers in China, but that the firm is "seeing some disruption to offline retailers, distribution channels and the supply chain connected to China".

RB, which employs 1,200 employees at its Hull operations, said it is currently "too early" to assess the impact of coronavirus on the operational and financial performance of the group.

The firm provided the update as it slumped to a £1.9bn operating loss for the year despite increasing sales.

The major loss was driven by a £5bn impairment of goodwill which resulted from its acquisition of the Mead Johnson nutrition business.

The Nurofen and Gaviscon owner said sales rose 2 per cent to £12.8bn for the year to December despite a marginal sales decline in the final quarter.

Net revenue for the fourth quarter dipped 0.5 per cent to £3.3bn as improving trends in its healthcare business were offset by supply challenges.

It said sales volumes for the year were slightly lower but highlighted strong progress from e-commerce channels and improvements in both its home hygiene and health arms.

The company said it expects 2020 to be a "transitional year" but has seen trading get off to a strong start, though it highlighted the uncertain environment caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Chief executive Laxman Narasimhan said: "We ended 2019 broadly in line with our expectations for net revenue growth and adjusted operating profit from October, as our hygiene business delivered another stable performance."