Persil maker Henkel meets sales expectations in first quarter (updated)
07/05/2026 06:53
Recasts paragraphs 1 and 2 to include organic sales beat, adds shares in paragraph 3, CEO quote on price and volume in paragraph 4, analyst view in paragraph 5 By Bartosz Dabrowski May 7 (Reuters) - German consumer goods and adhesives maker Henkel HNKG.DE reported an organic 1.7% rise in first-quarter sales on Thursday, beating market expectations, driven by volume growth in both branches of its business. The group's sales in the January-March quarter were 4.95 billion euros ($5.82 billion), as the organic growth exceeded analysts' average forecast of 1.1% in a Vara Research poll. Shares of Henkel, whose numerous consumer brands include Persil, Bref, Schwarzkopf and Syoss, were up 4.3% as of 0835 GMT. "If you look at quarter one, I think we have a good balance between price and volume ... with 0.7% (rise in) price and 1.0% volume, even a higher volume start into the year," CEO Carsten Knobel said in a conference call. Jefferies said in a note to investors that first-quarter volumes held up better than feared, particularly for Henkel's consumer brands. Europe's consumer goods sector is showing uneven momentum, with resilient demand for home care and hygiene products contrasting with weaker discretionary and personal care spending, as subdued consumer confidence and limited real income growth persist. Henkel said its adhesive technologies unit, which sells bonding, sealing and coating solutions for a range of industries, posted organic sales growth of 1.7% in the quarter, driven by mobility & electronics, while the consumer brands unit saw 1.8% growth lifted by its hair business area. The company confirmed its guidance for the full year, still expecting organic sales to grow between 1% and 3%. ($1 = 0.8510 euros) (Reporting by Bartosz Dabrowski in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak) ((bartosz.dabrowski@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 7696560;))