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MARMITE to Dove soap group Unilever has posted a fall in profits and said the Dr Atkins diet phenomenon was eating into sales.The Anglo-Dutch group, which employs around 2,000 people at its Port Sunlight operation, said half-year pretax profits fell 7pc to £1.5bn with profits in the second quarter down 26pc to £732.5m.

But it reported a 2pc rise in half-yearly and quarterly profits before exceptionals and said it had made major progress in integrating acquisitions and restructuring.It confirmed it expected sales of its leading brands to grow 4pc in the full year.However the consumer products giant said sales of its low fat Slim Fast foods brand in the US had been disappointing because of the trendy high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet.The diet, followed by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham, has hit Unilever revenues but the group is striking back with a new Slim Fast ice cream.

Unilever has a range of 400 so-called "leading brands" including Hellmann's mayonnaise, Marmite, Magnum ice cream and Dove soap.The group said last month it was cutting back growth targets to 4pc from between 5-6pc after seeing sales of some leading brands drop due to tough economic conditions.Unilever said sales of the leaders grew 3.1pc in the half-year and now represented 90pc of its business.The leading brand growth figure forms an important part of Unilever's five-year Path to Growth strategy, which was launched in 2000 and has brought sweeping change across the group.

Jul 31 2003
Daily Post

	[ UNILEVER ] [ ATKINS DIET SLAMS PROFITS]
.	MARMITE to Dove soap group Unilever has posted a fall in profits and said the Dr Atkins diet phenomenon was eating into sales.The Anglo-Dutch group, which employs around 2,000 people at its Port Sunlight operation, said half-year pretax profits fell 7pc to £1.5bn with profits in the second quarter down 26pc to £732.5m. But it reported a 2pc rise in half-yearly and quarterly profits before exceptionals and said it had made major progress in integrating acquisitions and restructuring.It confirmed it expected sales of its leading brands to grow 4pc in the full year.However the consumer products giant said sales of its low fat Slim Fast foods brand in the US had been disappointing because of the trendy high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet.The diet, followed by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham, has hit Unilever revenues but the group is striking back with a new Slim Fast ice cream. Unilever has a range of 400 so-called "leading brands" including Hellmann's mayonnaise, Marmite, Magnum ice cream and Dove soap.The group said last month it was cutting back growth targets to 4pc from between 5-6pc after seeing sales of some leading brands drop due to tough economic conditions.Unilever said sales of the leaders grew 3.1pc in the half-year and now represented 90pc of its business.The leading brand growth figure forms an important part of Unilever's five-year Path to Growth strategy, which was launched in 2000 and has brought sweeping change across the group. Jul 31 2003 Daily Post