J&J on consumer biz
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Emerging markets, including China, Brazil, Russia and India, offer "fertile ground for the consumer business to grow" and will likely lead the business segment on the road to recovery, Johnson & Johnson says during March 2 RBC Capital Markets Healthcare Conference in which it discussed its business relative to the recession. Marketer of Neutrogena, Clean & Clear and Aveeno skin-care lines already has made selective acquisitions in developing markets to "gain a foothold into certain tiers" of the consumer segment where it did not formerly compete. The most significant of those acquisitions was Dabao skin care in China (1"The Rose Sheet" Aug. 4, 2008, In Brief). J&J's international skin-care sales grew 14.2% on a reported basis in its fourth quarter, as announced in late January (2"The Rose Sheet" Feb. 1, 2010)