Danone has found the recipe to grow twice as fast as Nestlé

Published on February 26 at 7:30 a.m.

The owner of Activia, Actimel, Danette and Évian saw its turnover increase by 4.3%, to 27.3 billion euros in 2024. Ricochet64 / stock.adobe.com

Thanks to efforts made on its brands and on innovation, the French agri-food giant saw its sales increase by 4.3% last year, compared to 2.2% for the world leader. It is studying acquisitions.

Having been engaged in a vast recovery plan for three years, Danone has found the recipe for success again. In 2024, the group that owns Activia, Actimel, Danette and Évian ended the year with a 4.3% increase in its turnover, to 27.3 billion euros. This is almost twice as much as its major competitor and world leader in the sector Nestlé (+2.2%), which seems to be at the bottom of the wave. Danone's current operating income is up 2.2%, which allows the group to post a margin of 13%, up from its 2023 level (12.6%).

Proof of Danone's renewed health: after being boosted by inflation and price increases in 2022 and 2023, the group's sales growth is this time driven by volumes, which have been increasing for 18 months. This is a notable performance in a degraded consumer environment in many mature markets. "This is confirmation that we say what we do and that we do what we say, " explains…

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