Top story
A strong end to the year has helped Reckitt Benckiser register double-digit growth in 2020 as consumers turned to Dettol, Lysol and other hygiene brands to keep coronavirus at bay.
Revenues for the year finished 11.8% higher on a like-for-like basis to £14bn, with the hygiene division up 19.5% and health rising 12.1%. It is the best growth recorded in the company’s history.
The shift to online also benefitted the multinational as its ecommerce channel registered a record performance, with online sales soaring 56% to account for about 12% of total group business.
Reckitt flagged very strong growth for its heritage brands, particularly Lysol, Finish and Dettol, with a good performance from Gaviscon and improved momentum for Durex once the first lockdown was lifted.
More talk, more walk – DiverCity Podcast returns
Julia Streets, Founder and Host of the DiverCity Podcast
Now more than ever, businesses like to tell us what they care about. Most company websites have a full section extolling the corporate values they claim sets them apart. Think: a culture of flexibility, low environmental impact or strong workforce diversity.
Unfortunately, the walk does not always match this talk.
Even though diversity and inclusion has become an increasingly important subject within the corporate world, much still needs to be done to champion representation across all aspects of the spectrum including gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability and more.