Tied up

In 2016 FMCG M&A plummeted, down $176bn on the previous year, as political uncertainty depressed deal-making in the sector. Overall revenue growth for the Global 50 turned negative for the first time in 13 years (-0.7%).

Underlying organic volume growth also remained at near record lows, at just 0.7%, up slightly from 2015’s 0.5%, but still below global population growth of 1.1%. And this at a time when there is increasing pressure from activist investors to boost margins.

Our annual Global 50 report reveals the big themes shaping the industry. Now in its 15th year, it assesses the performance of the world’s 50 largest FMCG businesses.