Kimberly-Clark
On January 28, Kimberly-Clark released its 2024 financial report. In 2024, the company's net sales were US$20.1 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.8%; adjusted operating profit was US$3.2 billion, an increase from 2023.
Focusing on the business segments, in 2024, international personal care net sales were US$5.7 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 3.1%, and organic sales increased by 9.2%; international home care and home topical net sales were US$3.3 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.9%, organic sales were basically flat, and sales increased by 1.5%.
Hengan International
On March 25, Hengan International released its 2024 performance report. According to the financial report, Hengan International achieved operating income of 22.669 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 4.6%; net profit of 2.299 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 17.9%.
Focusing on the diaper business, the diaper business revenue in 2024 was 1.26 billion yuan, among which the sales of high-end baby diaper products "Q • MO" increased significantly, with sales revenue of about 548 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of about 20.1%, and the proportion of diaper sales revenue in the overall sales revenue further increased to about 43.5%. In terms of adult diaper business, the market share has steadily increased due to the growing scale of the domestic adult incontinence products market and the continuous increase in the penetration rate of the group's adult diapers.
It is reported that in the future, the group will continue to develop the baby and adult hygiene products market in two lines with a high-end strategy. In addition to sales through e-commerce channels, it will also vigorously develop new retail channels and strengthen cooperation with maternal and child stores, nursing homes and hospitals.
Unicharm
On March 26, Unicharm released its 2024 performance report. The report shows that Unicharm's net sales in 2024 will be approximately 988.981 billion yen (approximately RMB 47.96 billion), a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. Core operating income is approximately 138.463 billion yen (approximately RMB 6.72 billion), a year-on-year increase of 8.2%; net profit attributable to the parent company's owners is approximately 81.842 billion yen (approximately RMB 3.97 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 4.9%.
In terms of business, in 2024, Unicharm's personal care products business net sales will be approximately 826.100 billion yen (approximately RMB 40.08 billion), a year-on-year increase of 4.7%, including health care, women's care, baby care and cleaning care products. Focusing on the diaper business, in the severe competitive situation where China's declining birth rate trend is intensifying and local companies are rising, the Moony brand has made precise efforts to actively cater to the Chinese market's demand for high-end products, and profitability has been improved. In addition, in 2024, Unicharm's pet care products business had net sales of approximately 148.673 billion yen (approximately RMB 7.21 billion), a year-on-year increase of 6.6%.
Kao
Recently, Kao Group announced its full-year financial report for 2024. The financial report shows that in 2024, Kao Group's net sales reached 162.8448 billion yen (equivalent to about 79.01 billion yuan), a year-on-year increase of 6.3%; operating income was about 146.644 billion yen (equivalent to about 7.12 billion yuan), a year-on-year increase of 144.3%; net income was about 110.374 billion yen (equivalent to about 5.36 billion yuan), a year-on-year increase of 139.1%; net profit attributable to the parent company's owners was about 107.767 billion yen (equivalent to about 5.23 billion yuan), a year-on-year increase of 145.7%.
Specific to each business segment, Kao Group's sanitary products business saw a decline in sales in 2024, falling to 168.6 billion yen (equivalent to about 8.18 billion yuan), a decrease of 2.8%. Among them, exchange rate fluctuations led to a 2.6% increase in sales, but a decrease in sales volume led to a 8.1% decrease in sales, while product price increases led to a 2.7% increase in sales.
In the Japanese market, sales of Laurier sanitary napkins showed an upward trend, but sales of Merries baby diapers declined. In addition, the reduction in exports to China and other countries is also an important reason for the decline in sales of Kao's sanitary products business.
Baiya shares
On March 22, Baiya shares released its 2024 financial report. During the reporting period, the company achieved operating income of 3.254 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 51.77%. The net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was approximately 288 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.74%. Among them, the revenue of sanitary napkin products was 3.047 billion yuan, which was the only one of the company's three major businesses to achieve year-on-year growth, and the increase reached 59.91%.
In the future, Baiya shares will invest resources to promote the healthy development of baby diapers and adult incontinence products on the premise of increasing the market share of mid-to-high-end sanitary napkin products.
In general, this financial reporting season showed an ups and downs, and the performance of different brands was mixed. This not only reflects the complexity and variability of the market environment, but also highlights the differences in strategies of various companies in responding to challenges.