Unilever withdraws outlook for 2020, will pay interim dividend

Consumer goods giant Unilever Plc on Thursday withdrew its full-year forecast, saying it could not "reliably assess the impact" of the coronavirus pandemic, but said it would pay its quarterly interim dividend as planned.

The maker of Omo detergent and Lifebuoy hand sanitizers said underlying sales for the first three months of the year were flat, mainly due to a sharp decline in shopping and restaurant trips in China during much of the quarter.

Turnover rose 0.2% to 12.4 billion euros ($13.42 billion).