By Raechel Thankam Job
April 29 (Reuters) – Haleon said Wednesday it expects North America growth to accelerate this year on marketing tied to the FIFA World Cup, even as the consumer healthcare firm’s first-quarter organic sales missed estimates due to a weak cold and flu season.
Organic revenue in North America grew 1% in the three months to March, beating expectations for the region, on robust Sensodyne and Parodontax toothpaste sales under Haleon’s oral health segment.
The company said momentum through the year would likely be supported by North America growth initiatives, including shelf resets, wider distribution and a U.S. Soccer partnership ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico is expected to draw over a million visitors.
An acceleration in North American sales would be a welcome lift for a region that weighed on Haleon’s growth through 2025 amid weaker consumer spending and intense competition.
WEAK COLD AND FLU SEASON HIT PERFORMANCE
Echoing the pressures flagged by consumer giants like Reckitt, Haleon said a weak cold and flu season knocked an estimated 130 basis points off first-quarter sales growth globally.
Shares of the FTSE 100 company were down 1.9% at 0802 GMT.
Organic revenue for the respiratory health segment, which includes products like Theraflu and Robitussin, fell 3.4% in the quarter, with weakness across North America, Europe and Asia partly offset by growth in allergy relief spray Flonase.
Haleon reported organic revenue growth of 2.2% for the first quarter, lower than analyst estimates for 2.3%, according to the company-compiled consensus.
It reiterated expectations for 3-5% revenue growth and high-single digit adjusted operating profit growth in 2026.
JPMorgan analyst Celine Pannuti warned that subdued growth in the Middle East and Asia Pacific could undermine second‑quarter sales momentum.
“We would expect a muted reaction to a slow start to the year with still low visibility ahead,” she said.
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar and Bernadette Baum)
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