PZ Cussons, the maker of Imperial Leather soap and Charles Worthington hair products, yesterday became the latest company to say that it was profiting from the swine flu pandemic.

Sales of Carex, its market-leading anti-bacterial handwash, tripled as consumers tried to avert the virus. The biggest rise in sales was for waterless gels that can be kept in a handbag and used out of the home or the workplace.

Brandon Leigh, the chief financial officer of PZ Cussons, said: “Handwash is performing well in the current environment. Sales of Carex in the last few weeks have risen 200 per cent compared to where they were pre-swine flu.”

PZ Cussons believes that sales may remain higher, even when the threat of swine flu has receded. Mr Leigh said: “The level of hand hygiene awareness will be higher than before.”

The company has launched a campaign in schools to raise awareness of hygiene and its products. Mr Leigh said: “We will be ploughing back some of the sales increase into campaigns, particularly school awareness programmes and hand hygiene awareness, to do our bit.”

Mr Leigh added that the company hoped to capitalise on heightened concern over infectious illnesses by developing more products for on-the-go consumers, and that it was examining the possibility of vending machines at locations where food is available.

Many businesses have been quietly stepping up production in anticipation of a swine flu pandemic. Beneficiaries of the pandemic include GlaxoSmithKline, which hopes that sales of its Relenza treatment will hit £600 million this year, and Kimberly-Clark, the American consumer goods group, which has stepped up production of handwash products and surgical face masks. Many pharmacists have sold out of medical thermometers.

Cussons yesterday reported pre-tax profits of £89 million for its year to May 31, up 16 per cent, on revenue of £838 million. The period included the first wave of panic over swine flu, but Cussons said that handwash is not a big enough part of its business to move its profit guidance.

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