Carex sales soar amid flu fears

PZ Cussons said its range of Carex waterless hand gels were selling 'particularly well'

Soap giant PZ Cussons revealed consumers have been snapping up anti-bacterial handwashes to ward off germs as swine flu fears sweep the country.

PZ Cussons said its range of Carex waterless hand gels were selling "particularly well" as Britons become more hygiene-conscious.

The news came as PZ Cussons - the group behind products also including Imperial Leather and the Sanctuary spa range - reported a 16% rise in underlying pre-tax profits to £88.8 million for the year to May 31.

PZ Cussons said growth in sales of its antibacterial Carex gels had soared into the "very high double digits" in recent months as the swine flu pandemic took hold.

It said it was stepping up efforts to promote hand hygiene in schools through its "Hands up for Hygiene" campaign and more generally later in the year with further awareness programmes.

Brandon Leigh, finance director at PZ Cussons, said concerns over swine flu had seen Britons "generally become more sensible" about hygiene.

"A lot of families already have anti-bacterial soap in the home, but with the heightened awareness of hygiene, they want the same protection out of the home as well," he added.

The group, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, said worldwide sales rose 27% to £838.1 million.

In the UK, like-for-like sales rose 7.5%, excluding the Sanctuary business, which was bought for £75 million in 2008.

Efforts to revive its portfolio with new launches, such as the Imperial Leather Skin Bliss range, helped boost business, according to the group.