PZ Cussons PLC said on Wednesday said it has seen a continued improvement in revenue trends following a decline in the first quarter of its financial year, which ends May 31.

The Manchester-based manufacturer of personal care brands like Carex and Original Source explained that like-for-like revenue grew 8.5% in the third quarter, following a 5.5% growth rate in the second quarter.

This has led to year-to-date like-for-like revenue growth of 1.3%, though this declined by 5.5% on a reported basis.

Hygiene revenue grew 7.7%, with growth across all major brands more than offsetting the decline in Carex which, the company explained, reflected challenging comparatives.

Baby revenue grew 0.9% due to a softer performance in Cussons Baby. Beauty revenue declined 1.7% as PZ Cussons explained that strong growth across most of the business was offset by the decline in St Tropez in the US.

Chief Executive Jonathan Myers said: ‘We are focusing on building our Must Win Brands, driving executional excellence, dramatically reducing complexity and transforming our functional capabilities. We are aligning our portfolio around the core categories of Hygiene, Baby and Beauty and our priority markets. Our strategy is working, with revenue momentum from our Must Win Brands improving, and up 12.6% compared to before the pandemic.’

PZ Cussons said its outlook for financial 2022 remains unchanged.

Shares in PZ Cussons were up 2.0% at 204.50 pence on Wednesday morning in London.

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