Business · Companies · 4 hrs ago
Haleon cuts 2026 sales growth target as cold and flu demand weakens
Haleon lowered its sales growth target for 2026 to about 2.5%, down from its earlier forecast of 3% to 5%.
The consumer healthcare company, which owns Panadol and Sensodyne, said weaker cold and flu demand hurt sales, especially in North America.
Haleon reported revenue of £2.87 billion for the three months to September 30, up 2.5% from a year earlier.
Its shares fell in early trading, as the company also pointed to an impact from changes to imports in China.
Sales in Europe declined by 0.9%, while oral health products recorded 8.8% organic growth.
Haleon says it is taking action to improve performance, but it expects to deliver lower annual growth than it previously forecast.
Haleon lowered its 2026 sales growth outlook to around 2.5%, from its previous forecast of 3% to 5%.
The company said weaker demand for cough, cold and flu products weighed on third-quarter results.
Haleon reported revenue growth of 2.5% to £2.87 billion in the three months to September 30.
Its shares fell in early trading after the outlook cut, and the company also cited an impact from import changes in China.
Oral health sales recorded 8.8% organic growth in the quarter.
- Who
- Haleon, a consumer healthcare company.
- What
- It lowered its 2026 sales growth outlook to around 2.5%, from 3% to 5%.
- When
- The outlook was reported on October 29, 2026; the results cover the three months to September 30.
- Where
- The company reported results across regions including North America and Europe. It also cited import changes in China.
- Why
- Haleon said weaker demand for cough, cold and flu products contributed to growth below expectations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Haleon recorded revenue growth of 2.5% to £2.87 billion compared with the same period a year earlier.
Haleon said it was on track for sales growth of around 2.5% for 2026, below its previous forecast of 3% to 5%.
- 2026 sales growth outlook
- Around 2.5%
- Previous growth forecast
- 3% to 5%
- Third-quarter revenue
- £2.87 billion
- Third-quarter revenue growth
- 2.5%
- Oral health organic growth
- 8.8%
3 sources
What people are saying
Our third-quarter organic revenue growth of 2.6% was below our expectations as we navigated softness across some of our categories including weaker cough, cold and flu consumption.
We delivered strong performances in oral health and our turnaround plan in North America continues to make progress.
We are clear on where we need to improve and we are taking action to deliver stronger performance despite challenging markets.