Not profitable enough? Put it up for sale. On the morning of 24 July 2024, the British household and domestic products giant Reckitt Benckiser announced that it wanted to sell several of its assets, in continuation of a process of simplification launched in 2022. In the display case are Air Wick, Calgon, Mortein and Cillit Bang, which together generated “only” €2.26bn for the group in 2023.

The company, which still has 13 structures in Leudelange, will be concentrating on three business lines with products that have grown by more than 7% a year since 2018 and generated a gross margin of 61% last year, and which are largely responsible for the group’s sales of €12.2bn. These “power brands” include Strepsils, Gaviscon, Nurofen, Harpic, Finish, Vanish, Durex and Veet, to name but a few.

“Today we announce an important step forward to firmly establish Reckitt as a world-class consumer health and hygiene company,” commented CEO Kris Licht in a press release announcing the news. “Our core portfolio of market-leading power brands, and simpler, more effective organisation positions us to better serve our consumers and customers. This will deliver attractive long-term value creation for Reckitt’s shareholders through our earnings model and cash returns.”

“I am pleased,” he added, “to announce the appointment of a number of talented, long-term Reckitt leaders to the group executive committee to deliver this growth and value creation opportunity.”

These changes were announced at the half-year results presentation. At this halfway stage, the group has already achieved revenues of over €9bn, with a gross margin of over 60%.

This article in French.