1st Quarter Results

Unilever PLC 08 May 2008 FIRST QUARTER RESULTS 2008 KEY FINANCIALS (unaudited) € million First Quarter 2008 Increase/(Decrease) Current Current Constant rates rates rates Turnover 9 571 0 % 6 % Operating profit 1 815 39 % 46 % Pre-tax profit 1 782 34 % 39 % Net profit 1 407 34 % 39 % EPS (Euros) 0.47 35 % 39 % A STRONG START TO THE YEAR Financial Highlights • Underlying sales growth of 7.2%. • Operating margin of 19.0%, including €517 million disposal profits. Underlying improvement in operating margin of 0.3 percentage points before restructuring and disposals. • Earnings per share up 35%, boosted by the disposal profits. Operational Highlights • Broad-based growth across regions and categories, with Developing and Emerging markets particularly strong. • Increasing contribution from pricing, up 4.8%, in response to rising commodity costs. • Further progress with accelerated restructuring plan including the start-up of three multi-country organisations in Europe and steps to increase supply chain productivity. • Sale of Boursin and extension of the Pepsi/Lipton JV completed in the first quarter. Acquisition of Inmarko, the leading Russian ice cream company, completed in April. GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE COMMENT 'We have had a good start to the year, with strong organic growth across our categories and an underlying improvement in operating margin. We continue to invest behind our brands, while taking the necessary pricing action to recover a sharp increase in commodity costs. We have a strong innovation programme for 2008, with many important initiatives already in the market. We expect our productivity and value improvement initiatives to continue to deliver excellent results. The disciplined execution of our strategy, together with the combined advantage of strong brands, a product range serving consumer's everyday needs and our broad geographical footprint, leave us well placed to deliver competitive growth with an underlying improvement in operating margin in 2008, despite challenging conditions. While it is early in the year, we now expect underlying sales growth in 2008 to exceed our 3-5% target range.' Patrick Cescau, Group Chief Executive 8 May 2008 UNILEVER FIRST QUARTER RESULTS 2008 In the following commentary we report underlying sales growth (USG) at constant exchange rates, excluding the effects of acquisitions and disposals. Turnover includes the impact of exchange rates, acquisitions and disposals. Unilever uses 'constant rate' and 'underlying' measures primarily for internal performance analysis and targeting purposes. We also comment on trends in operating margins before RDIs (restructuring, disposals, impairments and other items), and use the movements in Ungeared Free Cash Flow and Return On Invested Capital to measure progress against our longer-term value creation goals. Unilever believes that such measures provide additional information for shareholders on underlying business performance trends. Such measures are not defined under IFRS and are not intended to be a substitute for GAAP measures of turnover, operating margin, profit, EPS and cash flow. Further information about these measures is available on our website at www.unilever.com/ourcompany/ investorcentre 1. SUMMARY OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER Underlying sales grew by 7.2%, with 2.3% from volume and a 4.8% increase in price. Europe grew by 2.3% against a relatively strong comparator. There was continued excellent growth in Russia and solid performances across most of Western Europe, notably the UK, but a weaker quarter in Germany. The Americas grew 6.4% with sales up 4.3% in North America and 9.6% in Latin America, helped by further positive developments in Mexico and Brazil and robust sales elsewhere. Asia Africa grew 14.2% with double-digit increases in almost every country in the region. Growth was broad-based, with all categories up by more than 5%. This came from a combination of price growth, new product innovation and increasing consumption in Developing and Emerging markets. Tea, ice cream, spreads and laundry were particularly strong. Growth in personal care of 5.8% was lower than in a strong first quarter of 2007, reflecting a more even phasing of innovation. Advertising and promotions increased broadly in line with sales, with almost all of the additional investment going to advertising in priority markets. Commodity cost increases accelerated further in the quarter. We have continued to manage through this with a combination of innovation-led growth, savings programmes and price increases, to deliver an underlying improvement in operating margin. 2. FINANCIAL COMMENTARY 2.1 Turnover Underlying sales growth was 7.2%. Turnover growth, including the effects of disposals and the strengthening of the Euro against other currencies, was 0.5%. 2.2 Operating profit Operating profit was 39% higher, and operating margin, at 19.0%, was 5.3 percentage points higher than a year ago. This included €517 million profits on disposals, mainly from the sale of the Boursin cheese business and the extension of the Pepsi/Lipton joint venture for ready-to-drink tea. Before the impact of restructuring and disposals the operating margin showed an underlying increase of 0.3 percentage points. Commodity costs increased by €400 million, or 4.2 percentage points of sales, in the quarter. Advertising and promotions increased in absolute terms, and was 0.1 percentage points lower as a percentage of sales. 2.3 Finance costs and tax Costs of financing net borrowings were 16% higher than last year reflecting a combination of higher average net debt and higher interest rates. The tax rate in the quarter was 22%, in line with last year. The rate benefited from low tax on disposal profits and favourable settlement of outstanding tax issues. The underlying tax rate for the year is expected to be closer to our long-term guidance of 26%. 2.4 Joint ventures, associates and other income from non-current investments Our share in net profit from joint ventures increased to €44 million. This largely reflects the extension of the Pepsi/Lipton joint venture for ready-to-drink tea, including a one-time gain in Portugal. Share of net profit of associates and other income from non-current investments, at €9 million, was €64 million lower than last year, entirely due to lower profits on disposals. 2.5 Net profit and earnings per share Net profit increased by 31% and EPS by 35%. EPS growth, before the impact of restructuring, disposals and other items, was 2% at current rates, or 6% at constant rates. 2.6 Share buy-backs As part of the planned 2008 share buy-back of at least €1.5 billion, we bought back 29.2 million shares at a value of €604 million in the first quarter. 2.7 Cash flow Net cash flow from operating activities was €0.1 billion lower than last year. In addition to the normal seasonal increase in working capital, there was an additional outflow of €0.3 billion largely as a result of higher commodity-driven prices and the planned build up of stocks during the change programme. The higher working capital outflow was partly offset by lower cash contributions to pension funds and favourable tax rebates. 2.8 Balance sheet Working capital shows the normal seasonal increase during the first quarter. In addition, increases in raw materials costs have flowed through into working capital balances. Trade payables and other current liabilities include the amount outstanding for the buy-back of shares under an irrevocable contract. The overall funding position of the Group's pension arrangements improved during the first quarter as the impact of higher discount rates outweighed falls in asset values. The overall net liability for all arrangements was €0.8 billion at the end of the quarter, down from €1.1 billion at the start of the year. The euro has strengthened against the currencies of many of the group's operations, reducing the translated values of assets and liabilities. 3. OPERATIONAL REVIEW 3.1 Europe First Quarter 2008 % Underlying % sales 2008 2007 Change growth Turnover (€ million) 3 494 3 544 (1.4) 2.3 Operating Margin (%) 28.3 14.4 Impact of RDIs (%)* 11.9 (1.3) * Restructuring, business disposals and other items Growth Underlying sales grew 2.3%, all from pricing. The overall growth rate was slightly lower than the average of the last twelve months, reflecting a strong comparator in the first quarter of 2007. Central and Eastern Europe (see also note 4 on page 12) grew 10.5%, mostly from volume. Another excellent quarter of growth in Russia was supported by robust sales in Poland and Hungary. Western Europe grew 1.2%. The Netherlands, UK and Italy all saw a combination of volume and price growth, while France was slightly ahead in challenging conditions. Sales in Germany were lower, after a strong finish to last year. This reflects the timing of promotions and price increases, and a competitive market. There were again some extra sales in the quarter ahead of price increases and systems implementations, similar to the effect in the last quarter of 2007, with no net impact in the quarter. Profitability The operating margin of 28.3% includes the profits on the disposal of Boursin and extension of the Pepsi/Lipton joint venture for ready-to-drink tea. Before these items, and restructuring charges, there was an improvement in margin of 0.7 percentage points. This improvement has been driven by lower overhead costs as we benefit from the ongoing restructuring programme. Pricing action and materials savings programmes have helped to mitigate the effect of commodity cost increases. Accelerating change Further progress was made on the portfolio shaping and restructuring programmes. We completed the sale of Boursin cheese and the expansion of the ready-to-drink tea joint venture with Lipton to include all countries in Europe. In April we completed the acquisition of Inmarko ice cream in Russia. Three new multi-country organisations started up in January. Supply chain improvements are well under way, and now include the announcement of centralisation of transport management in Poland. Innovation Vitality is the key theme of our innovation programme in Europe. At the same time a number of initiatives are being pursued which drive margin improvement through cost reduction and value enhancement. We are strengthening the nutritional credentials of our brands through the new Knorr 'eat colour' soups range and the Rama 'healthy oils' campaign. Our partnership with the Rainforest Alliance has seen the certification of Lipton Yellow Label teas across the region and PG Tips in the UK. In ice cream we have extended the Frusi range of fruit, yoghurt and cereal snacks, and launched new Magnum 'minis'. Lower fat spreads and dressings, such as Hellmann's new 'free range egg' extra light mayonnaise, offer a healthy option while at the same time reducing our dependence on costly vegetable oils. A global initiative for the 'Dirt is Good' laundry brand has seen the introduction of new 'Active Clean' products which offer improved cleaning performance as well as longer-lasting freshness through encapsulated fragrance technology. The latest Axe fragrance, 'Chocolate' has been launched across the region, and Clear shampoo continues to build its presence in Russia with new variants. The amount of packaging in our products is being reduced through the moves to concentrated liquid laundry products, upside-down roll-on deodorants that also provide superior performance, and a new design for Dove bodywash. 3.2 The Americas First Quarter 2008 % Underlying % sales 2008 2007 Change growth Turnover (€ million) 3 139 3 231 (2.8) 6.4 Operating Margin (%) 13.9 14.4 Impact of RDIs (%)* (0.8) (0.6) * Restructuring, business disposals and other items Growth Underlying sales grew 6.4%, including price increases of 5.9%. In the US, the aggregate market growth of our categories has remained steady. Within this, foods categories are higher, due to pricing, while personal care markets are weaker. Our own sales in the US grew 4.9%, slightly ahead of the market. Our business in Latin America returned to strong growth, up by 9.6%. This included a further improvement in Mexico and a solid performance in Brazil, as well as good performances in Argentina, Chile and Colombia. Profitability The operating margin, at 13.9%, was 0.5 percentage points lower than a year ago. On an underlying basis the margin was 0.3 percentage points lower, reflecting increased investment in advertising and promotions as a percentage of sales, all behind priority initiatives in Latin America. Pricing action and savings programmes fully offset the impact of higher commodity costs. Accelerating change We are progressing with the disposal process for our North American laundry business and have had interest from a number of parties. Meanwhile, the business continues to perform satisfactorily and we have a healthy programme of innovations. The move to a single head office location for the US business is well under way and will be complete by the middle of this year. The integration of the US ice cream business is progressing and the Canadian ice cream integration is complete. At the beginning of May we transferred our financial shared services in Latin America to CapGemini. Innovation We launched Wishbone 'Bountifuls' dressings, full of flavour and less than one gram of fat per serving, and a new Hellmann's light mayonnaise with an even better taste. These initiatives are helping to stimulate increased consumption of lower fat products. Hellmann's has also introduced an olive oil based mayonnaise and we have launched Ragu and Bertolli sauces in convenient microwaveable pouches. In the US, the move to concentrated liquids is proceeding to plan, and in the first quarter we introduced Snuggle 'FRESH Release' fabric softeners. The new 'Dirt is Good' laundry mix with improved cleaning and longer-lasting freshness has been introduced in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The new Dove 'Go Fresh' range includes skin cleansing bars, body washes, deodorants, mists and shampoos. Axe 'Bullet' in a new pocket size and ' proximity' body sprays with more subtle fragrances broaden the brand's appeal. 3.3 Asia Africa First Quarter 2008 % Underlying % sales 2008 2007 Change growth Turnover (€ million) 2 938 2 753 6.7 14.2 Operating Margin (%) 13.2 11.9 Impact of RDIs (%)* - (0.7) * Restructuring, business disposals and other items Growth Underlying sales growth accelerated to 14.2%. This included continued volume gain of 7.5% and price increases of 6.3%. The good performance remains very broad-based, with most countries, and most categories, growing more than 10%. India, China and Turkey have been particularly strong in terms of both sales and market share gain. Australia, Japan and Thailand were weaker against relatively tough comparators in the first quarter of last year. Profitability The operating margin, at 13.2%, was 1.3 percentage points higher than last year. The underlying improvement was 0.6 percentage points, driven by overheads savings programmes and the benefit of higher sales on fixed costs and marketing investment. Higher commodity costs were largely offset by pricing action and materials savings programmes. Accelerating change Plans to move to a single SAP system for the region are progressing, with South Africa going live in January and joining Turkey, Arabia and Israel where the implementation is already complete. Further roll-outs are planned through 2008 and 2009. We have announced the formation of a regional supply chain organisation, to be based in Singapore. Innovation Clear shampoo continues to strengthen its position in the countries where it was launched last year. An updated Sunsilk range with new variants and advertising campaign oriented to younger consumers has been introduced in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. The Pond's range has been revitalised in most of the larger countries with the launch of 'Age Miracle' and 'Flawless White' and the core moisturing range is now being renovated. In laundry, we have introduced multi-chamber sachets under the Surf Excel brand in India. In Turkey a series of initiatives include the new global 'Dirt is Good' mix, and more 'natural' propositions for Surf and Rinso. The new Knorr bouillon jellies for preparing thick soups are building distribution in China. Lipton green teas have been launched in Turkey, and gained Rainforest Alliance certification in Japan. Amaze nutritional snacks, launched last year in Turkey, have been introduced in India. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including ' forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'expects', ' anticipates', 'intends' or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, including financial objectives to 2010, and their negatives are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Group. They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, competitive pricing and activities, consumption levels, costs, the ability to maintain and manage key customer relationships and supply chain sources, currency values, interest rates, the ability to integrate acquisitions and complete planned divestitures, physical risks, environmental risks, the ability to manage regulatory, tax and legal matters and resolve pending matters within current estimates, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, political, economic and social conditions in the geographic markets where the Group operates and new or changed priorities of the Boards. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group's filings with the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this document. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INCOME STATEMENT (unaudited) € million First Quarter Increase/ 2008 2007 (Decrease) Current Constant rates rates Continuing operations: Turnover 9 571 9 528 - % 6 % Operating profit 1 815 1 302 39 % 46 % After (charging)/crediting: Restructuring, business disposals and other items (see note 3) 393 (86) Net finance costs (86) (70) Finance income 24 27 Finance costs (145) (131) Pensions and similar obligations 35 34 Share in net profit/(loss) of joint ventures 44 27 Share in net profit/(loss) of associates 9 48 Other income from non-current investments - 25 Profit before taxation 1 782 1 332 34 % 39 % Taxation (375) (280) Net profit from continuing operations 1 407 1 052 34 % 39 % Net profit/(loss) from discontinued operations - 22 Net profit for the period 1 407 1 074 31 % 36 % Attributable to: Minority interests 68 61 Shareholders' equity 1 339 1 013 32 % 37 % Combined earnings per share Continuing operations (Euros) 0.47 0.34 37 % 42 % Continuing operations - diluted (Euros) 0.46 0.33 37 % 42 % Discontinued operations (Euros) - 0.01 Discontinued operations - diluted (Euros) - 0.01 Total operations (Euros) 0.47 0.35 35 % 39 % Total operations - diluted (Euros) 0.46 0.34 34 % 39 % STATEMENT OF RECOGNISED INCOME AND EXPENSE (unaudited) € million First Quarter 2008 2007 Fair value gains/(losses) on financial instruments net of tax (76) 1 Actuarial gains/(losses) on pension schemes net of tax 77 450 Currency retranslation gains/(losses) net of tax (671) (13) Net income/(expense) recognised directly in equity (670) 438 Net profit for the period 1 407 1 074 Total recognised income and expense for the period 737 1 512 Attributable to: Minority interests 37 61 Shareholders' equity 700 1 451 CASH FLOW STATEMENT (unaudited) € million First Quarter 2008 2007 Operating activities Cash flow from operating activities 268 451 Income tax paid (160) (249) Net cash flow from operating activities 108 202 Investing activities Interest received 38 11 Net capital expenditure (217) (194) Acquisitions and disposals 497 14 Other investing activities 71 64 Net cash flow from/(used in) investing activities 389 (105) Financing activities Dividends paid on ordinary share capital (39) (157) Interest and preference dividends paid (61) (85) Change in financial liabilities 265 647 Share buy-back programmes (604) (92) Other movements on treasury stock 4 13 Other financing activities (2) (36) Net cash flow from/(used in) financing activities (437) 290 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 60 387 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 901 710 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes (27) 63 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period 934 1 160 BALANCE SHEET (unaudited) € million As at As at As at 31 March 31 December 31 March 2008 2007 2007 Non-current assets Goodwill 11 804 12 244 12 393 Intangible assets 4 353 4 511 4 744 Property, plant and equipment 5 942 6 284 6 165 Pension asset for funded schemes in surplus 2 155 2 008 1 779 Deferred tax assets 935 1 003 1 164 Other non-current assets 1 229 1 324 1 240 Total non-current assets 26 418 27 374 27 485 Current assets Inventories 4 305 3 894 4 140 Trade and other current receivables 4 790 4 194 4 833 Current tax assets 239 367 160 Cash and cash equivalents 1 254 1 098 1 535 Other financial assets 167 216 266 Non-current assets held for sale 142 159 17 Total current assets 10 897 9 928 10 951 Current liabilities Financial liabilities (4 121) (4 166) (5 102) Trade payables and other current liabilities (8 372) (8 017) (8 096) Current tax liabilities (430) (395) (664) Provisions (868) (968) (874) Liabilities associated with non-current assets held for sale - (13) - Total current liabilities (13 791) (13 559) (14 736) Net current assets/(liabilities) (2 894) (3 631) (3 785) Total assets less current liabilities 23 524 23 743 23 700 Non-current liabilities Financial liabilities due after one year 5 678 5 483 4 353 Non-current tax liabilities 218 233 211 Pensions and post-retirement healthcare benefits liabilities: Funded schemes in deficit 853 827 785 Unfunded schemes 2 077 2 270 3 305 Provisions 741 694 881 Deferred tax liabilities 1 294 1 213 1 108 Other non-current liabilities 226 204 252 Total non-current liabilities 11 087 10 924 10 895 Equity Shareholders' equity 11 977 12 387 12 234 Minority interests 460 432 571 Total equity 12 437 12 819 12 805 Total capital employed 23 524 23 743 23 700 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) 1 ACCOUNTING INFORMATION AND POLICIES The condensed interim financial statements are based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU and IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard (IAS) 34 'Interim Financial Reporting'. The basis of preparation is consistent with that applied for the year ended 31 December 2007. The condensed financial statements are shown at current exchange rates, while percentage year-on-year changes are shown at both current and constant exchange rates to facilitate comparison. The income statement on page 8 and the statement of recognised income and expense and the cash flow statement on page 9 are translated at rates current in each period. The balance sheet on page 10 is translated at period-end rates of exchange. The financial statements attached do not constitute the full financial statements within the meaning of Section 240 of the UK Companies Act 1985. Full accounts for Unilever for the year ended 31 December 2007 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors' report on these accounts was unqualified and did not contain a statement under Section 237(2) or Section 237 (3) of the UK Companies Act 1985. 2 NON-GAAP MEASURES In our financial reporting we use certain measures that are not recognised under IFRS or other generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). We do this because we believe that these measures are useful to investors and other users of our financial statements in helping them to understand underlying business performance. Wherever we use such measures, we make clear that these are not intended as a substitute for recognised GAAP measures. Wherever appropriate and practical, we provide reconciliations to relevant GAAP measures. The principal non-GAAP measure which we apply in our quarterly reporting is underlying sales growth, which we reconcile to changes in the GAAP measure turnover in note 4. We also report annually against two further non-GAAP measures: Ungeared Free Cash Flow and Return on Invested Capital. Further information about these measures and their reconciliation to GAAP measures is given on on our website at www.unilever.com/ourcompany/investorcentre 3 SIGNIFICANT ITEMS WITHIN THE INCOME STATEMENT In our income statement reporting we recognise restructuring costs, profits and losses on business disposals and certain other one-off items, which we collectively term RDIs. We disclose on the face of our income statement the total value of such items that arise within operating profit. In our operating review by geographic segment and in note 4 we highlight the impact of these items on our operating margin. The impact of these items, and of similar items arising within other elements of our income statement, on our reported net profit for the first quarter was as follows: € million First Quarter 2008 2007 RDIs within operating profit: Restructuring (124) (121) Business disposals 517 30 Other one-off items - 5 393 (86) Tax effect of RDIs within operating profit: (61) 35 RDIs arising below operating profit: 24 80 Total impact of RDIs on net profit 356 29 The impact of RDIs on reported Earnings Per Share is given in note 9. 4 SEGMENTAL ANALYSIS (Continuing operations) On 28 February 2008 Unilever announced a number of organisational changes. As part of these changes, our operations in Central and Eastern Europe will in future be managed within an enlarged region together with those in Asia and Africa, with Western Europe becoming a standalone region. Since these changes are taking place progressively during the remainder of 2008, we are continuing to report quarterly against our structure as it applied in 2007. In our fourth quarter reporting for 2008 we will provide additional analysis of our regional results against the new structure, including restated amounts for each of the quarters of 2008, and will report on the new basis thereafter. By geography - First Quarter € million Europe Americas Asia Africa Total Turnover 2007 3 544 3 231 2 753 9 528 2008 3 494 3 139 2 938 9 571 Change (1.4)% (2.8)% 6.7 % 0.5 % Impact of: Exchange rates (2.0)% (7.7)% (6.3)% (5.3)% Acquisitions 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.1 % 0.0 % Disposals (1.6)% (1.1)% (0.4)% (1.1)% Underlying sales growth 2.3 % 6.4 % 14.2 % 7.2 % Price 2.5 % 5.9 % 6.3 % 4.8 % Volume (0.2)% 0.5 % 7.5 % 2.3 % Operating profit 2007 510 465 327 1 302 2008 991 437 387 1 815 Change current rates 94.4 % (6.2)% 18.4 % 39.4 % Change constant rates 96.4 % 2.5 % 29.2 % 46.2 % Operating margin 2007 14.4 % 14.4 % 11.9 % 13.7 % 2008 28.3 % 13.9 % 13.2 % 19.0 % Includes restructuring, business disposals and other items 2007 (1.3)% (0.6)% (0.7)% (0.9)% 2008 11.9 % (0.8)% 0.0 % 4.1 % By operation - First Quarter Savoury, Ice cream Home care dressings and Personal and € million and spreads beverages care other Total Turnover 2007 3 375 1 614 2 749 1 790 9 528 2008 3 426 1 622 2 720 1 803 9 571 Change 1.6 % 0.5 % (1.1)% 0.7 % 0.5 % Impact of: Exchange rates (4.3)% (5.5)% (6.2)% (5.5)% (5.3)% Acquisitions 0.0 % 0.2 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % Disposals (1.6)% (1.1)% (0.4)% (1.2)% (1.1)% Underlying sales growth 7.9 % 7.3 % 5.8 % 7.8 % 7.2 % Operating profit 2007 457 114 542 189 1 302 2008 915 216 515 169 1 815 Change current rates 100.1 % 89.5 % (5.0)% (10.7)% 39.4 % Change constant rates 107.6 % 97.8 % 1.3 % (4.8)% 46.2 % Operating margin 2007 13.5 % 7.1 % 19.7 % 10.6 % 13.7 % 2008 26.7 % 13.3 % 18.9 % 9.4 % 19.0 % 5 TAXATION The tax rate for the first quarter was 22%, in line with the first quarter last year. The tax rate is calculated by dividing the tax charge by pre-tax profit excluding the contribution of joint ventures and associates. The tax charge for the first quarter includes €18 million (2007: €61 million) relating to United Kingdom taxation. 6 RECONCILIATION OF NET PROFIT TO CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES € million First Quarter 2008 2007 Net profit 1 407 1 074 Taxation 375 282 Share of net profit of joint ventures/associates and other income from non-current investments (53) (100) Net finance costs 86 70 Operating profit (continuing and discontinued operations) 1 815 1 326 Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 233 242 Changes in working capital (1 222) (956) Pensions and similar provisions less payments (31) (78) Restructuring and other provisions less payments (9) (63) Elimination of (profits)/losses on disposals (540) (55) Non-cash charge for share-based compensation 22 37 Other adjustments - (2) Cash flow from operating activities 268 451 7 NET DEBT As at As at 31 March 31 December € million 2008 2007 Total financial liabilities (9 799) (9 649) Financial liabilities due within one year (4 121) (4 166) Financial liabilities due after one year (5 678) (5 483) Cash and cash equivalents as per balance sheet 1 254 1 098 Cash and cash equivalents as per cash flow statement 934 901 Add bank overdrafts deducted therein 320 197 Financial assets 167 216 Net debt (8 378) (8 335) On 21 February 2008 Unilever issued Swiss franc notes to the value of CHF 600 million (€360 million) in two tranches: CHF 250 million with an interest rate of 3.125% and maturing in January 2012, and CHF 350 million at 3.5% maturing in March 2015. 8 MOVEMENTS IN EQUITY € million First Quarter 2008 2007 Equity at 1 January 12 819 11 672 Total recognised income and expense for the period 737 1 512 Movement in treasury stock (1 110) (494) Share-based payment credit 22 30 Dividends paid to minority shareholders (6) (6) Currency retranslation gains/(losses) net of tax (16) (3) Other movements in equity (9) 94 Equity at the end of the period 12 437 12 805 During the quarter we completed the purchase of shares to the value of €604 million under the share buy-back programme announced in February 2008. 9 COMBINED EARNINGS PER SHARE The combined earnings per share calculations are based on the average number of share units representing the combined ordinary shares of NV and PLC in issue during the period, less the average number of shares held as treasury stock. In calculating diluted earnings per share, a number of adjustments are made to the number of shares, principally the following: (i) conversion into PLC ordinary shares in the year 2038 of shares in a group company under the arrangements for the variation of the Leverhulme Trust and (ii) the exercise of share options by employees. Earnings per share for total operations for the first quarter were calculated as follows: 2008 2007 Combined EPS - Basic Millions of units Average number of combined share units 2 839.9 2 890.5 € million Net profit attributable to shareholders' equity 1 339 1 013 Combined EPS (Euros) 0.47 0.35 Combined EPS - Diluted Millions of units Adjusted average number of combined share units 2 936.6 2 984.9 Combined EPS - diluted (Euros) 0.46 0.34 Impact of RDIs on Earnings Per Share € million Total impact of RDIs on reported net profit (see note 3) 356 29 Impact of RDIs on basic earnings per share (Euros) 0.12 0.01 Earnings per share in US Dollars and Sterling Combined EPS (Dollars) 0.71 0.46 Combined EPS - diluted (Dollars) 0.68 0.44 Combined EPS (Pounds) 0.36 0.23 Combined EPS - diluted (Pounds) 0.35 0.23 The numbers of shares included in the calculation of earnings per share is an average for the period. During the period the following movements took place in the numbers of shares included in the basic earnings per share calculation: Millions Number of shares at 31 December 2007 (net of treasury stock) 2 853.1 Net movements in shares under incentive schemes 3.0 Share buy-back (29.2) Number of shares at 31 March 2008 2 826.9 10 OTHER INFORMATION On 4 February 2008 Unilever announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire Inmarko, the leading Russian ice cream company, for an undisclosed amount. The transaction was completed on 2 April 2008. The company had a turnover in 2007 of approximately €115 million. On 10 April 2008, Unilever entered into a settlement with Mars to bring an end to all claims made by Mars concerning Unilever's distribution arrangements for the sale of impulse ice cream. Prior to the settlement, Mars had initiated proceedings against Unilever in a number of European jurisdictions. The settlement does not imply any admission of liability on Unilever's part. The payment to be made by Unilever to Mars under the terms of the settlement has been fully provided for and is not material to Unilever's results. Supplementary information in US Dollars and Sterling is available on our website at: www.unilever.com/ourcompany/investorcentre The results for the second quarter and for the first half year 2008 will be published on 31 July 2008. The Annual General Meetings (AGM's) for Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. will be held on 14 May and 15 May 2008 respectively. ENQUIRIES Media: Media Relations Team Investors: Investor Relations Team UK +44 20 7822 6805 tim.johns@unilever.com +44 20 7822 6830 investor.relations@unilever.com or +44 20 7822 6010 trevor.gorin@unilever.com NL +31 10 217 4844 tanno.massar@unilever.com There will be a web cast of the results presentation available at: www.unilever.com/ourcompany/investorcentre/results/quarterlyresults/default.asp 8 May 2008 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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