Surging demand for face masks lifts Unicharm’s profit to record high in Japan

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Japanese hygiene product maker Unicharm Corp. said Monday surging demand for face masks during the coronavirus pandemic lifted its sales and operating profit to record highs last year, Kyodo reports.

The company said its operating profit climbed 27.8 percent in 2020 from a year earlier to 114.74 billion yen ($1.1 billion) on sales of 727.48 billion yen, up 1.9 percent. Net profit rose 13.5 percent to 52.34 billion yen.

«Sales of face masks and wet wipes jumped 2.6-fold and 1.4-fold from a year before, respectively,» Unicharm President Takahisa Takahara said in an online press conference.

Operating profit from its pet food business also saw 32.9 percent growth as the pandemic led to an increase in pet ownership in Japan, he said.

In 2021, Unicharm expects its operating profit to rise 3.7 percent to 119 billion yen on estimated sales of 770 billion yen, up 5.8 percent, and a record net profit of 75 billion yen, up 43.3 percent.