Gillette profits up 15% on new products

Gillette said quarterly profit rose 15 per cent, driven by strong sales of new razors and toothbrushes and the benefit of the…

Gillette said quarterly profit rose 15 per cent, driven by strong sales of new razors and toothbrushes and the benefit of the weak dollar.

Gillette posted second-quarter profit of $338 million compared with $293 million a year ago.

Sales rose 11 percent to $2.25 billion, with 6 percentage points of the gain due to the weakness of the dollar against other currencies, including the euro. The weak dollar makes overseas sales more valuable when they are converted into dollars.

Duracell sales rose only 1 percent, but profit rose 20 per cent to $54 million. Oral-care sales rose 15 per cent to $316 million, with profit up 7 per cent to $53 million.