LONDON (Reuters) -Consumer goods companies are likely to post stronger fourth-quarter sales growth in Europe than in the United States, monthly data indicates, boosted by persistently higher prices in countries like Britain, France and Germany even as Americans paid less. Companies like Procter & Gamble and Nestle began hiking prices in the United States at the end of 2021, driven initially by a pandemic-led freight and input cost crisis. The hikes, which ramped up following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were easier to take in the United States than Europe because contracts with companies like Walmart and Target are a lot more flexible than highly regulated deals in Europe.
Toy makers grappling with surging costs in China are finding no easy options when it comes to shifting production to cheaper centres elsewhere. Six years ago, monopoly maker Hasbro approached Indian durable goods and aerospace supplier Aequs to sub-contract. "They said if you can get into toy manufacturing, now we're looking to shift millions of dollars worth of product from China to India," Rohit Hegde, Aequs' head of consumer verticals, told Reuters.
Toy manufacturers shift from China is no child s play By Reuters investing.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from investing.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.