Developing markets give consumer goods maker Unilever a 10.3 pct Q3 sales boost

AMSTERDAM – Consumer goods maker Unilever PLC says strong growth in developing markets helped its sales rise a better-than-expected 10.3 percent to €13.4 billion ($17.4 billlion) in the third quarter, despite falling prices in Europe.

In an update, the maker of Dove soaps, Lipton tea, and Magnum ice cream said Thursday that stripping out the impacts of acquisitions and a weaker euro, the rise would have still been 5.9 percent, more or less split equally between increases in volumes and prices. Sales in developing markets were up 12 percent.

Unilever said that the company expects more commodity price rises, but it will continue to grow volumes faster than its markets — as it did in Europe in the third quarter.

CEO Paul Polman repeated the company expects higher profit margins this year.