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GfK Returns to Organic Growth
GfK returned to organic growth (up 1.1%) during the 2015 financial year, after a decline of 2.0% the previous year. Reported sales increased by 6.3% to EUR 1.54bn (from EUR 1.45bn).
 The group's Consumer Choices division drove the result, with 'good sales growth' - a reported increase of 9.2% to approximately EUR 681m, corresponding to organic growth of 4.2%. In the Consumer Experiences sector, an organic decline in sales of just 1.1% represented a big improvement on a 5.4% fall the previous year. Currency effects meant reported sales in Consumer Experiences grew by 4.1% to EUR 861m.
All the group's geographical regions experienced organic growth, with the exception of Northern Europe. Latin America and Central Eastern Europe/META saw growth of 18.5% to EUR 68m and 6.3% to EUR 126m respectively, and Asia and the Pacific also achieved organic growth of 4.3% to EUR 185m. Although Northern Europe experienced a 3.1% decline in sales in organic terms, currency effects counteracted this trend, meaning that business in the region increased by 0.2% to EUR 576m.
Overall for the group, adjusted operating income increased by 4.9%, or EUR 9m, to approximately EUR188m. Currency effects had a 'significant' impact in the first six months of the year, and contributed 5.0% to the growth figure.
CEO Matthias Hartmann (pictured) says of the results: 'In 2015, we returned to achieving growth in line with our targets. We continued the process of digitizing our products and services, and we successfully launched innovations. We did not quite achieve our margin targets. Overall, we are satisfied with the fourth quarter, because we were able to achieve good sales growth'.
Web site: www.gfk.com .
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