L’Oreal Strong Increase In Half-Year Net Profit: + 22.5% Group

Main half-year indicators


  at 30 June 1999 at 30 June 2000 Growth
  in millions of euros  
Consolidated sales 5 372.5 6 149.9 +14.5%
Operating profit 569.2 (1) 690.2 +21.3%
Adjusted operating profit (2) 562.4 (1) 661.9 +17.7%
Pre-tax profit of fully
consolidated companies		 513.3 (1) 601.7 +17.2%
Net profit of fully
consolidated companies		 316.5 377.6 +19.3%
Group's share of net
profit of associated companies		 66.7 91.0 +36.5%
Net profit before capital
gains and losses,
after minority interests		 379.5 464.9 +22.5%
(1) The new accounting standards applied since 1st January, 2000 recommend that employee profit-sharing should be recorded under "personnel costs". To make the figures comparable, the 1999 figures have been adjusted by applying the same method.
(2) Adjusted for exchange rate fluctuations.

The consolidated sales of the group up to 30th June, 2000 amounted to € 6.15 billion (FF 40.33 billion), a 14.5% increase based on published figures or 8.2% excluding currency effects.

Good performance in margins


The group's two sectors, cosmetics and dermatology, achieved improved operating margins.

Adjusted operating profit
  30 June 1999 % of sales   30 June 2000 % of sales Increase
Cosmetics 541.4 m€ 10.3%   631.2 m€ 10.5% +16.6%
Dermatology 24.7 m€ 23.9%   32.9 m€ 28.1% +33.2%
Consolidated
total		 562.4 m€ 10.5%   662 m€ 10.8% 17.7%

Strong profit growth for associated companies


Profit for associated companies improved by 36.5%.

As L'OREAL consolidates 19.57% of SANOFI-SYNTHELABO, the group's share amounted to € 85.2 m. This can be compared to € 62 m, corresponding to 56.64% of SYNTHELABO consolidated by L'OREAL in the first half of 1999, and represents an increase of 37.3%.

Outlook for 2000 as a whole


On the publication of these figures, Mr Lindsay OWEN-JONES, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the L'OREAL group, commented: "After the excellent first-half results and in view of the strong growth prospects for the second half, the annual results excluding acquisitions should reflect an increase broadly in line with that achieved in the first half."

The acquisitions of KIEHL'S, MATRIX and CARSON have now been finalised and will be consolidated in the second half of 2000.

For the year as a whole, these acquisitions should contribute an extra two percentage points to sales growth. In profit terms, the impact of the acquisitions is likely to be slightly negative in 2000, before becoming positive from 2001 onwards.

The accounts for the first half of 2000 will be finalised on 28th September, 2000.