Natura Cosmeticos SA, Latin America’s largest cosmetics company and the No. 4 direct seller in the world according to the DSN 2011 Global 100, was one of several retailers in Brazil to see increases in retail sales during an unexpected jump in June.
According to a story on bloomberg.com, the volume of sales in Brazil climbed 1.5 percent, compared with a 0.8 percent drop in May. It was the biggest rise since January, which had a 3.2 percent increase. The median forecast of 38 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 0.3 percent decline.
“There’s strength across the board,” said Italo Lombardi, Latin America economist at Standard Chartered Bank. “It’s a good sign. This reinforces the idea that we may be seeing a stronger recovery. We may be leaving this soft patch behind in terms of demand.”
Brazil’s largest retailer, Cia. Brasileira de Distribuicao Grupo Pao de Acucar, saw profits rise 180 percent in the second quarter. Magazine Luiza SA experienced a nearly five-fold growth in second-quarter profits, and Natura saw profits increase 14 percent.
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