Consumption weakness seen in rural India: Unilever CEO Alan Jope

During the quarter, HUL reported 19.5 per cent growth and the company took a 12 per cent price increase across its portfolio

Markets in India are growing in value but in volumes they are declining, Alan Jope, chief executive officer (CEO) of Unilever, told analysts on Tuesday after announcing his company’s June-quarter results.

He attributed the weakness in consumption to inflation, particularly in rural areas. “We are confident of Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL’s) ability to continue to grow ahead of the market and we see that reflected in very strong market share performance,” Jope said.

He said HUL’s growth was broad-based and driven by strong competitiveness and a portfolio that had been built with brands competing up and down price tiers. During the