Shiseido Reports Strong Sales Gains In 1H Of FY 2016

Shiseido reported consolidated net sales grew 5.5 percent in the first half of fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, compared with the same period of the previous year. Operating income jumped 32.1 percent year on year to ¥19.9 billion, driven by higher margins in line with the increase in net sales, better product mix, and the flow-on effects of cost-cutting efforts. Also, the company has declared an interim dividend of ¥10 per share. Sales in Japan increased 5.5 percent to ¥202.9 billion, compared with the same period in the previous year. In China, sales increased 15.5 percent during the period, compared with the first half of the previous year. In terms of Japanese yen, sales grew 3.1 percent year on year to ¥61.5 billion, while operating income improved by ¥5.2 billion to ¥2.4 billion.