Danone sees growth slowing in 2009

The French company said net profit fell last year to €1.31 billion from €4.18 billion in 2007, when Danone earned €3.1 billion on the sale of its LU, Petit Dejeuner and other biscuit brands to Kraft.

 On an adjusted basis that also takes
into account Danone's 2007 acquisition of Dutch baby food maker Royal
Numico NV, the group's net profit was up 15 percent last year, in
line with Danone's guidance.

The company's sales grew 6 percent in
the fourth quarter as sales of higher priced yogurts and dairy treats
offset flat volumes overall, while the bottled water business
continued to report lower sales due to slowing demand and falling
prices in France and other markets such as Spain, Britain and Japan.

For all of 2008, Danone reported sales
of €15.2 billion, up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier, due
mainly to Danone's acquisition of Numico in November of 2007. On a
comparable basis that also excludes foreign exchange swings, sales
grew 8.4 percent last year, Danone said.