Givaudan confirms mid-term goal, Q1 sales up 5 pct

ZURICH - Swiss fragrance and flavour maker Givaudan confirmed its mid-term sales growth target after posting a 4.7 percent rise in first-quarter sales on Wednesday thanks to buoyant demand in emerging markets.

Photo: Corbis

Givaudan, which makes flavours for foods and drinks as well as perfumes for groups such as Dior and Calvin Klein, said sales rose to 1.06 billion Swiss francs ($1.15 billion), just topping the average estimate of 1.049 billion francs in a Reuters poll.

"Givaudan started the year with a continued strong business momentum with a full project pipeline," the group said in a statement, adding it was managing to push through price increases to help offset higher input costs.

Last month, German rival Symrise, which expects to increase its sales by between 2 and 4 percent this year, said it was aiming to further increase its prices as raw material prices were still rising.

Givaudan is aiming for organic sales growth of between 4.5 and 5.5 percent per year over the medium term, assuming a market growth of 2-3 percent.

U.S. rival International Flavors & Fragrances is due to publish its first-quarter results on May 8.