Raw materials costs force PZ Cussons to lift prices of consumer goods

British consumer goods maker PZ Cussons warned it would lift prices to offset the impact of rising input costs and said its performance over the past year had been in line with expectations.

"Raw material costs remain at high levels with mitigation plans underway through higher selling prices where possible as well as internal margin improvement projects," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

In April, larger rival Unilever warned of higher commodity costs this year and said it would cut its own costs to compensate.

Cussons, which makes Imperial Leather soaps and Carex anti-bacterial hand washes, said, while weak consumer demand in developed markets and high raw material costs remained challenging, the outlook for its premium brands in the UK and for growth in emerging markets remained positive.

"The more premium brands managed by the newly formed PZ Cussons beauty division have continued to perform particularly well," it said.