Avon Products says its fourth-quarter revenues jumped 13% to $3.2 billion, while earnings climbed 15%--in part due to increased ad spending for the quarter.
The company says it boosted its ad
investment $9 million to $109 million, which it says reflected continued support for its innovation pipeline. Overall, beauty sales gained 15%, or 9%, on a local-currency basis. Color cosmetics
performed best, gaining 19%, followed by personal care products, up 13%, and fragrance, up 7%.
The number of units sold gained 4% for the quarter, and the number of active Avon reps increased
11%.--Sarah Mahoney