Nestle raises full-year guidance after Q3 sales beats poll

[ZURICH] Nestle raised its guidance for organic sales growth to around 3 per cent for 2020 on Wednesday after posting better-than-expected growth of 4.9 per cent for the third quarter driven by strong demand for pet food and health products.

The world's biggest food group has weathered the Covid-19 pandemic better than some of its peers thanks to its broad portfolio, with resilient pet food and health businesses making up for a slump in food sales to restaurants and cafes.

Demand for foods and drinks consumed at home, well-known brands and products with health benefits remained strong during the pandemic, while sales of products destined to out-of-home venues struggled in the third quarter, the maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate said in a statement.

For the first nine months of the year, Nestle's organic sales grew by 3.5 per cent, compared to analysts' average estimate for 2.8 per cent, according to a company-supplied consensus.

Sales in the Americas posted the strongest growth rate in the nine-month period, while Asia was only slightly positive.

Sales in Swiss francs fell 9.4 per cent to 61.9 billion Swiss francs (S$92.47 billion) hit by the sale of Nestle Skin Health and the US ice cream business.

Nestle had previously expected organic growth of 2-3 per cent for this year.

REUTERS