Soaring Dettol sales during pandemic provide boost for Reckitt Benckiser

The British-Dutch consumer goods giant said sales in its health business were up by 9.3% in the first half of the financial year while the hygiene business expanded 16%. Overall net revenue was up 12% on a like-for-like basis.

Meanwhile, the business has seen a “very strong shift to ecommerce”, according to chief executive Laxman Narasimhan, with 12% of its revenue now coming from online sales as e-commerce grew by 60%.

Mr Narasimhan said: “The first six months of 2020 have been underpinned by resilience, agility and strong execution. I’m incredibly proud of the effort of our people who have worked tirelessly, while staying safe, with focus and dedication in an environment that’s been changing daily.

“We have the largest portfolio of surface disinfectant brands, including Dettol, Lysol and Sagrotan. Our largest brands are trusted by our consumers, as evident in their performance.”

He added: “Our hygiene and base health businesses have both performed well, with strong volume growth in challenging circumstances.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor