Nivea maker Beiersdorf sees further growth in 2014

Beiersdorf, the German maker of Nivea hand cream and Tesa sticky tape, reported a strong increase in profits last year and forecasted further growth in 2014. The group said in a statement that its net profit jumped almost a fifth or 19.6 percent to 543 million euros ($747 million) in 2013. Underlying or operating profit was up 17.5 percent at 820 million euros while sales rose by 1.7 percent to 6.141 billion euros. "2013 was an important and successful year for Beiersdorf. The group has made gains in market share, increased sales and improved its earnings. Beiersdorf is back on a sustainable growth track," said chief executive Stefan Heidenreich. Looking ahead to the current year, Beiersdorf said it expects to deliver sales growth of 4.0-6.0 percent in 2014 and improve its operating margin.