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Nestlé

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FY2016 Annual Report · Nestlé
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Annual Review 2016

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Contents

2 

Letter to our shareholders

10 

The strategy

14 

The highlights

34 

150 years

42 
44 
48 
55 
57 

58 
59 
60 
62 
64 
65 

Financial review
Group overview
Product category and operating segment review
Principal risks and uncertainties
Factories

Corporate Governance and Compliance
Corporate Governance
Board of Directors of Nestlé S.A.
Executive Board of Nestlé S.A.
Compliance
Shareholder information

Accompanying reports

Nestlé in society
Creating Shared Value and
meeting our commitments 2016

Corporate Governance Report 2016
Compensation Report 2016
Financial Statements 2016

Nestlé in society
Creating Shared Value 
and meeting our 
commitments 2016

Corporate Governance Report 2016
Compensation Report 2016
Financial Statements 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our business

For 150 years, Nestlé has created products that enhance quality of life 
and contribute to a healthier future.

Across the globe we provide 
safe nutritious products for 
individuals and families. We 
have seven categories in our 
product portfolio, offering 
tastier and healthier choices 
for every life stage, at all 
times of the day. 

What we sell (in CHF billion)

Powdered and 
Liquid Beverages

Nutrition and 
Health Science

Milk products 
and Ice cream

Prepared dishes 
and Cooking aids

19.8

15.0

14.3

12.1

Our continued growth has 
enabled us to help improve 
the lives of millions of people 
through the products and 
services we provide, creating 
value for both our business 
and the communities where 
we operate.  

PetCare

Confectionery

Water

12.1

8.7

7.4

Where we sell (in CHF billion)

EMENA

26.8

AOA

22.5

AMS

40.2

Number of employees

Number of countries we sell in

328 000

191

Total group salaries and social  
welfare expenses (in CHF)

Corporate taxes paid in 2016 
(in CHF)

17 billion

3.4 billion

Our commitments

Our 42 commitments featured in the Nestlé in society report guide our 
collective efforts to meet specific objectives. 

On the right is a selection 
of key achievements, 
illustrating the progress  
we have made across  
our Creating Shared Value 
focus areas.

Nutrition, health and wellness

8856

207 billion

Renovated 8856 products for nutrition 
and health considerations 

Delivered 207 billion 
micronutrient-fortified servings  
of foods and beverages

Rural development

129 million

363 000

Distributed 129 million coffee plantlets 
(cumulative since 2010) to farmers, 
against a target of 200 million by 2020

Farmers trained through capacity-
building programmes

Water

25%

3.7 million m3

Reduced our water withdrawal per 
tonne of product by 25% since 2010

Saved 3.7 million m3 of water through 
516 water-saving projects

Environmental sustainability

39%

182

Reduced our emissions per tonne of 
product by 39% (cumulative since 2006)

Achieved zero waste for disposal  
at 182 sites (39% of total) 

Our people, human rights  
and compliance

15 666

9573

Trained 15 666 women in business  
and entrepreneurial skills

9573 employees trained on  
human rights across the FTSE4Good 
Countries of Concern

Our performance 

Our performance is driven by our Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy, 
the engine of our value creation.

Our 2016 growth was at the 
high end of the industry. We 
saw a solid trading operating 
profit margin improvement 
and our cash flow grew 
significantly. On the right is 
a summary of the results we 
achieved during the year.

Group sales (in CHF)

Organic growth

Real internal growth

89.5 billion

3.2%

2.4%

Trading operating  
profit (in CHF)

Trading operating  
profit margin

Trading operating  
profit margin

13.7 billion

15.3%

+30 
basis points

Constant currency

Earnings per share 
(in CHF)

Underlying earnings  
per share

2.76

+3.4%

Constant currency

Operating cash flow 
(in CHF)

Free cash flow 
(in CHF)

15.6 billion

10.1 billion

112.0% of net financial debt

Proposed dividend 
(in CHF)

Proposed dividend 
increase

2.30

+2.2%

1

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Letter to our shareholders

Dear fellow shareholder,

2016 was an exceptional year in exceptional times. We reached a milestone, our 
150th anniversary, a celebration of a century and a half of passion for nutrition 
and for quality. But this achievement comes as our industry is at a crossroads. 
Expectations of Nestlé are changing substantially as consumers embrace new 
trends, habits and lifestyles. We see a reshaping of the competitive environment. 
We are on the brink of a ‘fourth industrial revolution’; a transformation of society that 
will be unlike anything we have experienced before, presenting us with challenges 
but also great opportunities. We are responding by sharpening our focus and 
strengthening our efforts to create value. We are investing in science and innovation, 
and building new capabilities and platforms to secure our long-term prospects while 
at the same time delivering the sustainable, profitable growth you expect from us.

Organic growth was 3.2%, with real internal growth reaching a three-year high 
of 2.4%. Pricing was limited at 0.8%, with some improvement in the second half 
of the year. Sales increased by 0.8% to CHF 89.5 billion, with a foreign exchange 
impact of –1.6%. The Group’s trading operating profit was CHF 13.7 billion with 
a margin of 15.3%, up 20 basis points on a reported basis and up 30 basis points 
in constant currency. We achieved this margin improvement while increasing 
investment in brand support, digital marketing, Research and Development, and in 
the new nutrition and health platforms. Net profit of CHF 8.5 billion was impacted 
by several items, the largest being a one-off non-cash adjustment to deferred taxes. 
Reported earnings per share decreased by 4.8% to CHF 2.76 for the same reasons. 
Underlying earnings per share in constant currency increased by 3.4%. Operating 
cash flow improved by CHF 1.3 billion to CHF 15.6 billion. Free cash flow improved 
by CHF 200 million to CHF 10.1 billion or 11.3% of sales. Based on these results, the 
Board of Directors is proposing the 22nd consecutive dividend increase, underlining 
our commitment to continuity, up from CHF 2.25 last year to CHF 2.30 this year.

During the year we confirmed our Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategic direction 
with a newly articulated purpose that echoes the motivation of our founders: 
enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Those who started 
our company were pioneers and entrepreneurs who were motivated by the needs of 
society and overcame the challenges they faced with expertise and determination. 
We share their values and their passion, passed down through the generations. Over 
the last 150 years your company has faced constant change. Today is no different. 
This is the moment to put in place measures to ensure Nestlé thrives in this new 
environment. So, in this anniversary year, we made choices and investments that will 
shape the future and ensure your company’s continuing success.

2

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Paul Bulcke, Chief Executive Officer (left), and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman (right). 
As part of our 150 years celebration, the original site of Henri Nestlé’s factory in our home town 
of Vevey was refurbished and opened to the public as a discovery centre.

3

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Letter to our shareholders

Henri Nestlé had a vision of a better world thanks to nutrition, an idea which is still 
pertinent today. Through innovation we can help people to live healthy and fulfilling 
lives. Innovation is our heritage, the foundation on which our brands are built, 
but also a key enabler of future success. The strength and depth of our Research 
and Development differentiates us from the competition, and helps us respond 
to the major changes we see in society. We are constantly acquiring a deeper 
understanding of nutritional science, and developing products and services with the 
potential to help people to live healthier lives and to address rising healthcare costs 
globally. One good example is our research collaboration with Samsung, which will 
explore the potential of nutrition science and digital sensor technology to provide 
new insights into healthy living. We continue to further extend the boundaries of 
our Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy with Nestlé Health Science and Nestlé 
Skin Health. With their innovative pipelines of products designed to make a major 
contribution to the health needs of large parts of the population, they offer the 
promise of further growth and value creation.

We are well aware of how fundamentally digital is transforming society and 
for some time now we have been building the knowhow and talent to respond 
effectively and efficiently. Digital is changing not just how companies operate but 
also our relationships with partners, suppliers and the people who buy our products. 
It requires attention and investment to enable us to seize opportunities. Among 
others, we have enlarged our ‘Silicon Valley Innovation Outpost’ in San Francisco 
with staff drawn from the company’s marketing and technology functions. During 
the year, we launched the Henri@Nestlé open innovation platform, enabling start-up 
entrepreneurs to work with Nestlé as collaborative partners on projects that matter 
both to the company and to the millions of people who buy our products. We are 
creating a digital-first culture. This bold ambition will shape the next 150 years of the 
company’s progress.

We have always balanced investing for the long-term with delivering against our 
current financial commitments to drive growth in today’s challenging trading 
environment. We have increased investment behind our brands and sustained it.

Our long-term commitment to operational excellence delivers savings that benefit 
both growth and margins. During the year, we committed to further structural 
savings beyond those delivered annually by our continuous improvement initiative 
Nestlé Continuous Excellence. Leveraging our size and scale offers further 
opportunities to maximise efficiency. Nestlé Business Excellence is driving efforts 
to simplify, standardise and share support functions, and as such to leverage our 
scale. Here too digital contributes: delivering new capacity or routes-to-market 

4

Nestlé Annual Review 2016without the need to construct ‘bricks and mortar’ infrastructure, or new possibilities 
to concentrate investment on projects that create more value. We continue to adapt 
our structure and organisation, finding the right balance between local focus and 
global scale to ensure we are best placed to exploit the fast-changing environment.

The Board of Directors took steps to ensure Nestlé’s continuing success after the 
transition necessitated by our changing roles. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe steps down 
in April having reached the mandatory age of retirement after 12 years as Chairman 
and before that 11 years as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Bulcke resigned as Chief 
Executive Officer at the end of 2016 after more than 8 years in the role, after the 
Board put him forward for election as Chairman of Nestlé at the upcoming Annual 
General Meeting. The Board appointed Ulf Mark Schneider to succeed him as Chief 
Executive Officer, a role he took up on January 1st 2017. Mr. Schneider was formerly 
Chief Executive Officer of the Fresenius Group, a company that offers products and 
services for dialysis, hospitals and outpatient treatments. This concludes a process 
that the Board began more than two years ago to appoint a strong leadership team 
to deliver the company’s short-term and long-term performance goals.

In September, it was announced that Luis Cantarell, Executive Vice President 
and Head of Zone EMENA, would retire at the end of the year after a long and 
distinguished career with the Group. Luis was one of the architects of the company’s 
Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy and his contribution to its success cannot 
be overstated. The Board of Directors appointed Marco Settembri, Executive Vice 
President and Head of Nestlé Waters, to succeed him. Maurizio Patarnello, Market 
Head of Nestlé Russia and the Eurasia region, was appointed Deputy Executive Vice 
President and Head of Nestlé Waters. The Board also decided to change the business 
structure for Nestlé Professional from a globally managed business to a regionally 
managed business supported by a Nestlé Professional Strategic Business Unit from 
January 1st 2017. As a result of these changes, the Head of Nestlé Professional, 
Martial Rolland, left the Executive Board to become Market Head in the Russia and 
Eurasia region. We would like to thank Luis and all of those who retired in 2016 for 
their contribution to Nestlé’s success over the years and extend our best wishes to 
them as they begin this next chapter of their lives.

During the year, in addition to the succession planning, the Board reviewed the 
Nespresso business, Nestlé Nutrition and Nestlé Health Science. It examined our 
talent development strategy and appraised the company’s portfolio management 
and the performance of the acquisitions of recent years. The Board also reviewed 
how we track the external image of the company and travelled to China in order to 
better understand the dynamics of our second largest market.

5

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Letter to our shareholders

In 2016, Nestlé partnered with R&R, a leading ice cream company based in the 
UK, to create Froneri, a new ice cream, frozen food and chilled dairy business in 
22 countries across the globe. Building on each company’s achievements, Froneri 
brings together decades of business and manufacturing expertise to create a new 
global player in the ice cream industry.

In this fast-changing world it is more important than ever that Nestlé is consistent, 
reliable and respected, in order to build trust. The consistency of our purpose: 
enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future, has led us to act 
throughout our history as a responsible member of society. We strongly believe that  
the private sector is more than just an engine for economic growth and job creation. 
We are part of the fabric of society with its challenges and opportunities. As a global 
company we can make a substantial, positive impact in society, and inspire and work 
with others to achieve even more. Creating Shared Value describes what this means 
in practice; creating value for our shareholders with projects or business opportunities 
that at the same time benefit the communities in which we operate, and furthermore, 
society as a whole. This Creating Shared Value approach to doing business was started 
at Nestlé ten years ago. We are heartened to see others in our industry and beyond 
embracing the concept of shared value today.

A good example of our determination to make a difference is the Nestlé Global  
Youth Initiative which we started in Europe three years ago. During 2016, we 
pledged to offer to under-30 year olds thousands of jobs, apprenticeships and 
traineeships in each of our three geographical Zones over the coming years, on 
top of those already created. We believe that through these efforts to promote 
readiness-to-work we can make a significant contribution towards addressing the 
social cost of youth unemployment. Through the ‘Alliance for YOUth’, which Nestlé 
founded, we are creating an even bigger impact, working with more than two 
hundred partner companies to provide training and jobs.

Each day we touch billions of lives worldwide, from the individuals and families who 
enjoy our products, to the communities where we live and work, and the natural 
environment upon which we all depend. Our 42 public commitments provide the 
framework for our efforts in these areas, and our progress towards meeting them is 
detailed in the Nestlé in society report published alongside this Annual Review. They 
are fully aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) 
which set out a vision for ending poverty, hunger and inequality, and protecting the 
earth’s natural resources. The SDG’s help to guide our actions around a common 
agenda: an agenda to create a better world that we fully endorse and actively 
contribute to.

6

Nestlé Annual Review 2016For 150 years we have adhered to a set of values rooted in respect: respect for 
ourselves, for others, for diversity and for the future. All of us at Nestlé live these 
values with passion, determination and discipline. They have withstood the test of 
time. They are integral to our success. It is our respect for future generations that 
compels us to act with responsibility and courage, even when times are difficult. 
So while we continue to take care of the short term, we are building and investing 
for the long term. We are well aware of the intensely competitive context in which 
we are operating today and are taking the steps necessary to further develop and 
strengthen your company. We are investing in the capabilities we need, the know-
how and the talent to continue to create value for you, our shareholders. This is the 
approach which we have followed successfully for 150 years. 

We would like to thank our 328 000 employees for their commitment to Nestlé. It 
is their hard work, alignment behind our strategy and dedication that enables us 
to deliver on our promises. We also want to thank you, our shareholders, for your 
continuing support, your confidence and above all for your trust. Rest assured 
that our passion for nutrition, health and wellness, and our passion for quality will 
continue to generate the sustainable, profitable returns you rightfully expect from us.

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe  
Chairman

Paul Bulcke
Chief Executive Officer

7

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nestlé.
Enhancing quality of life
and contributing
to a healthier future.

The strategy

Nutrition plays a profound  
role in everyone’s life. Our 
strategy focuses on delivering 
distinct benefits to people 
through the food and beverages, 
products and services we 
provide. Over 150 years we have 
built a successful business by 
understanding and anticipating 
the needs of society, and 
continuously adapting ourselves 
to seize the opportunities 
presented to us.

The fast-evolving needs and expectations 
of society today reconfirm the validity of our 
Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy. The 
world is at an inflection point. The speed, 
intensity and the breadth of change is 
unprecedented. Digital disruption is reshaping 
our industry, our relationships with our suppliers 
and retailers, and with the people who buy our 
brands. Advances in science and technology  
are opening up new opportunities for us to  
play a role in addressing the challenges society 
faces. In a world where hundreds of millions 
of people are under-nourished, malnourished 
or over-weight we are well positioned to help 
contribute solutions.

Through our brands, our products and the 
services we offer, we are helping and inspiring 
people to live healthier lives. We are building, 
sharing and applying nutrition knowledge, 
and empowering people to make informed 
decisions about what they eat and what they 
feed their families. Our Start Healthy Stay Healthy 
programme helps parents and caregivers 
provide their children with the best start in life. In 
partnership with other stakeholders, our United 
for Healthier Kids programme helps establish 
healthier eating, drinking and lifestyle habits, and 

10

The strategy

the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme is teaching 
nutrition and encouraging physical activity.

do that efficiently, effectively and responsibly. It 
drives internal alignment behind our goals.

We want our products to be the healthiest and 

It is more important than ever to ensure that 

the tastiest choices in each and every category 
we compete in. We use quality ingredients 
people know and trust, adding nutrients where 
appropriate. We are substantially reducing sugar, 
saturated fat and salt. By communicating clearly 
about the contribution each product makes 
to a healthy diet, we are helping people make 
informed decisions about what to eat and drink.

Our new nutrition and health platforms, Nestlé 

Health Science and Nestlé Skin Health, allow us 
to apply the knowledge we have developed with 
the most advanced Research and Development 
network in the industry. They enable us to 
develop products and services that meet specific 
needs of different parts of the population, to help 
address issues the world faces, for example rising 
healthcare costs.

By keeping ourselves relevant in this fast-
changing world, we can deliver industry-leading 
growth. We work with agility, creativity and 
discipline, constantly innovating and renovating 
our portfolio. Our Research and Development 
capability ensures we maintain our leading 
positions in the categories we compete in, 
driving growth throughout the portfolio. The 
innovation is broad-based across all categories, 
brands and markets. It comes in many forms – 
from blockbusters like Nespresso, to renovating 
products to keep them fresh and relevant as we 
have done with brands like Nescafé and Nescafé 
Dolce Gusto, Nido, Milo and Maggi.

Digital innovation is a strong competitive 
advantage and a cornerstone of the company’s 
future development. For some time now we 
have been creating a digital-first culture that 
enables us to manage and to benefit from the 
disruption digital is bringing. As the ‘fourth 
industrial revolution’ takes hold, we are confident 
that we can capitalise on the efficiencies and the 
opportunities digital brings.

The Nestlé Strategic Roadmap guides us in 
these turbulent times. The glue is our purpose 
and values, and our culture. The roadmap says 
what we want to be as a company, what we want 
to leverage as competitive advantages to fuel 
growth, where we want to grow and how we will 

12

resources are dedicated to the right projects, 
maximising the effectiveness of what we spend. 
We have a strong cost control culture. Through 
Nestlé Continuous Excellence we continuously 
improve our operations and deliver savings. 
With Nestlé Business Excellence we simplify, 
standardise and share. This is creating back-
office efficiencies, helping us to leverage our 
size and scale to deliver competitive advantage, 
and unlocking resources. These are the fuel 
for growth, brand support, Research and 
Development, innovation and renovation.

We challenge ourselves continuously to look 
for new opportunities and for areas where we can 
make a contribution to the issues society faces. 
This creates shared value for the communities 
where we operate and for our shareholders. We 
are contributing to society while growing our 
business. Trust is fundamental to our success. 
Trust helps deliver growth, creating shared value 
for our shareholders and for society. Quality 
and compliance underpin that trust, and are the 
best way to ensure the long-term success of our 
business.

Our strategy helps achieve our purpose: 
enhancing quality of life and contributing to a 
healthier future. Nestlé is always anticipating and 
adapting to the changing world, guided by our 
purpose and our values, as we have since the 
company started 150 years ago. Our purpose 
defines why the world is a better place with 
Nestlé, better for those who enjoy our products 
and services, and for those who are affected by 
our business. It is the inspiration for each and 
every one of us in the company. It aligns our 
actions and creates a common language. It is 
the compass for our decisions and for everything 
we do. It helps ensure we remain a ‘long-term’ 
company delivering with ‘short-term’ intensity, 
investing for future success while ensuring that 
we meet the needs of the billions of people we 
touch every day, and the expectations of our 
shareholders.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Operational 
pillars

Innovation 
and renovation

e – Sustain a b ilit y

c
n
a
i
l
p
m
o
C

Whenever,
wherever, 
however

Operational
efficiency

Growth 
drivers

Out-of-home 
consumption

Premiumisation

Nutrition, 
Nutrition, 
Health and 
Health and 
Wellness
Wellness

Emerging 
markets and
Popularly 
Positioned 
Products

C

r

e

a

t
i

n

g

S

h

a

r

e

d

V
a

l

u
e

Our objective is to be the 
Our objective is to be the 
leader in Nutrition, Health and 
leader in Nutrition, Health and 
Wellness, and the industry 
Wellness, and the industry 
reference for financial 
reference for financial 
performance, trusted 
performance, trusted 
by all stakeholders
by all stakeholders

Consumer
engagement

N

e

stlé culture, values   a n d   p r i n

c i p le s

Unmatched
product
and brand
portfolio

People, 
culture, values 
and attitude

Unmatched 
geographic 
presence

Unmatched 
research 
and development 
capability

Competitive 
advantages

13

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
 
The highlights

Ever since Nestlé was founded we 
have provided quality products 
and services that help shape a 
better world. Henri Nestlé created 
an infant cereal that saved the life 
of a child. We share his belief that 
through innovation we can enable 
healthier and happier lives. We 
share his passion for creating the 
tastiest and healthiest products, 
building, sharing and applying our 
nutritional knowledge, enhancing 
quality of life and contributing to a 
healthier future.

14

Nestlé business portfolio

®

Nestlé Health 
Science

Nestlé Skin 
Health

Nestlé Nutrition

Milk products 
and Ice cream

16

Nestlé Annual Review 2016At Nestlé we offer products and services for all stages of life, every moment of the day, helping people care for themselves and their families. Our portfolio includes over 2000 brands from global icons like Nescafé to local favourites like Ninho. Powdered and 
Liquid Beverages

Prepared dishes 
and Cooking aids

PetCare

Confectionery

Water

17

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nestlé Health Science

Nestlé Health Science produces almost a billion 
science-based nutritional solutions per year 
across its portfolio. Its Consumer Care range  
is designed for people who want to live active 
lives but struggle to get the right nutrition.  
The Medical Nutrition range helps address a 
wide range of health conditions from paediatric 
allergies to inborn errors of metabolism, from 
obesity to malnutrition amongst older people. 
Novel Therapeutic Nutrition is investing, through 
partnerships, in the development of nutritional 
therapies, aiming to bring forward clinically 
proven innovations in brain and gastrointestinal 
health, supported by diagnostics solutions.

As more infants are recognised to be intolerant 

to cow’s milk, Nestlé Health Science has 
developed a comprehensive range of formulas for 
infants with Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA). 
These include Alfamino, Althéra and Alfaré. To 
complement the range, it has also developed an 
awareness tool to help doctors recognise the 
allergies earlier and invested in the development 
of a patch-test to diagnose CMPA.

As part of our commitment to advance the 

therapeutic role of nutrition, Nestlé Health 
Science provides nutritional solutions for healthy 
aging. The product ranges include Boost in North 
America, Mexico and Asia; Meritene in Europe; 
Nutren Senior in Brazil, and Sustagen in Australia 
and New Zealand. With digestive sensitivities 
becoming increasingly common, Nestlé 
Health Science launched ProNourish, the first 
nutritional drink of its kind for people suffering 
from digestive sensitivities. An online resource 
hub (www.lowfodmapcentral.com) provides 
information, dietary advice and recipes.

18

ProNourish is a low FODMAP* nutritional 
drink for people with digestive discomfort,  
like irritable bowel syndrome.

* FODMAP = Fermentable Oligosaccharides, 
Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nestlé Health Science aims to advance the therapeutic role of nutrition in health management for consumers and healthcare professionals. Its portfolio focuses on addressing key health issues, from food allergies in infants to healthy aging.Nestlé Skin Health

Nestlé Skin Health provides prescription drugs, 
aesthetic and corrective solutions, and consumer 
skin health products. These include innovative 
components from moisturisers to sunscreen, 
medical aesthetic procedures to medicines used 
to treat serious conditions such as skin cancer.
2016 was a year of expansion, with new 
product launches and the roll-out of flagship 
brands. Nestlé Skin Health announced a global 
licensing agreement with a new partner, Chugai, 
for Nemolizumab, a new treatment being 
developed for atopic dermatitis. Epiduo Forte 
acne treatment was given a ‘Positive Opinion’ by 
16 European regulatory agencies and, in the US, 
Differin Gel became the only over-the-counter 
product with a prescription-strength retinoid, 
giving people access to this acne treatment 
without a doctor’s prescription. In creating The 
Proactiv Company, Nestlé Skin Health placed its 
expertise in skin health behind one of the world’s 
leading non-prescription acne brands, Proactiv.
Skin health research and innovation is at the 

core of the business. The newly established 
New York flagship Skin Health Investigation, 
Education and Longevity Development (SHIELD) 
centre is leading the way. Nestlé Skin Health is 
working to promote skin health education and 
advance key health issues, like aging or the rise 
of antimicrobial resistance. Promoting good skin 
health, it also announced an exclusive global 
sun-care partnership with the men’s professional 
tennis body, the ATP, for the Daylong brand.

Nestlé Skin Health’s science-based innovation 
and expertise will support the further growth 
of Proactiv, one of the world’s leading 
non-prescription acne brands.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016

19

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nestlé Skin Health seeks to enhance people’s quality of life by providing science-based products that meet their need for healthy skin, hair and nails over the course of their lives.Nestlé Nutrition

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 10.3 billion

+ 1.5%

+0.9%

22.7%

Trading operating profit margin

+10 basis points 

Good nutrition in the first 1000 days from 
conception through pregnancy and up to a 
child’s second birthday has a profound impact on 
long-term growth and development, providing 
a unique window of opportunity to set the 
foundation for a healthy future. We support 
and promote breastfeeding as it is the best 
start a baby can have in life. In cases when 
breastfeeding is not possible due to medical or 
physical conditions, infant formula is the only 
breast-milk substitute recognised by the World 
Health Organisation. Nestlé Nutrition provides 
high-quality, innovative, science-proven nutrition 
for mothers and infants to help them start healthy 
and stay healthy during the critical first 1000 days. 
We are committed to the highest standards of 
responsible marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
We provide a wide range of infant formulas 
and complementary foods such as infant cereals, 
meals and drinks, and growing-up milks. Our 
BabyNes system, now available in five countries, 
is the first advanced nutrition system for infants 
and toddlers that offers age-specific, single-serve 
formulas for children up to the age of three years. 
Our products contain high-quality, carefully 

selected ingredients fortified with nutrients to meet 
the specific needs of infants and young children.

NAN Optipro infant formula contains superior 
protein quality in lower quantity that supports 
optimal growth of infants and is available in 
more than 100 countries.

20

NaturNes is an ideal healthy snacking option 
for small children on-the-go, with a range of 
organic offerings.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Cerelac is a highly-nutritious infant food, full of 
nutrients to complement breastmilk or formula 
when it is no longer sufficient to satisfy baby’s 
needs after 6 months.

21

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Milk products 
and Ice cream

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 14.3 billion

+ 1.6%

+0.5%

18.4%

Trading operating profit margin

+150 basis points 

Dairy is a key contributor to delivering our 
Nutrition, Health and Wellness promise. We 
leverage our scientific and nutritional expertise to 
provide individuals and families with dairy products 
to support healthy diets for all stages of life, from 
early childhood to old age. Our wide portfolio 
offers a range of formats from nutritionally-
enhanced milk products to dairy treats.

Our range of children’s milks provides the 

energy, protein and micronutrients children need. 
Growth in the category is led by our heritage 
brand Milo. Innovation this year included a new 
Milo to Go ready-to-drink, as well as the Milo 
Champions pack to help families inspire health 
and fitness throughout their child’s life.

Responding to a growing need for products 

for specific dietary needs, Nido/Ninho low 
lactose powders and ready-to-drink bottles were 
launched in Brazil, and Carnation low lactose 
evaporated milk in Mexico. In Brazil, Nesfit 
introduced two new low-calorie rice-based 
smoothies for people seeking non-dairy options.

For people on low incomes we continue 

to provide affordable dairy ranges. These 
micronutrient fortified products, including Nestlé 
Bear Brand, NutriRindes and Ideal, provide extra 
vitamins and minerals to help meet the nutritional 
requirements of children in developing countries.

In the Ice cream category, our premium 
range Mövenpick continued to grow in Europe. 
Its signature sticks are made of 100% natural 
ingredients, including full cream and Swiss 
chocolate. With demand growing from Chinese 
consumers for more ice cream products, a new 
brand ChenZen meaning ‘Real’ was also launched 
in 2016.

22

Mövenpick sticks are available in 3 flavours, 
including Vanilla Dream with Caramel. They 
contain 100% natural ingredients, including 
Swiss cream, vanilla seeds and Swiss 
chocolate.

Nido powders are fortified with vitamins and 
minerals to help provide vital micronutrients 
that children need.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Our ready-to-drink Milo is a healthy and 
portable option. It contains 50% of the daily 
recommended calcium intake and is fortified 
with 8 vitamins and minerals.

The Milo Champions pack offers kids a fun 
way to track their activity while giving parents 
detailed information on their child’s nutritional 
intake and activity levels.

23

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Powdered and 
Liquid Beverages

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 19.8 billion

+ 4.6%

+3.7%

20.8%

Trading operating profit margin

– 50 basis points 

Nestlé, the world’s largest coffee producer, is 
uniquely positioned in the world with our brands 
Nescafé and Nespresso offering a complete range 
of products, systems and services across all 
channels. Both brands continue their pioneering 
efforts in coffee sustainability, working directly 
with coffee farmers through the Nescafé Plan and 
the Nespresso Positive Cup programmes.

Nescafé is the world’s favourite coffee brand, 

with close to half a billion cups served daily. 
Recent innovations included the global roll-out 
of Nescafé Original double filter, fuller flavor 
delivered through a breakthrough in coffee 
technology, further expansion of the Nescafé 
to Go refreshing ready-to-drink portfolio of cold 
coffees, and Nescafé Blend&Brew range of 
single-serve coffee mixes. Nescafé Dolce Gusto, 
now available in over 80 countries, continued 
to strengthen its appeal to younger consumers 
though successful digital campaigns and adverts 
featuring musician will.i.am.

In its 30th year of innovation and growth, 

Nespresso continued to expand the global 
network of Nespresso boutiques. Following a 
successful United States launch, we made the 
VertuoLine system, delivering exceptional long-
cup coffee, available in Europe. Several Grands 
Crus coffees were launched including limited 
edition  Cafecito de Cuba, the first Cuban product 
to be sold in the USA since the 1960s, and Suluja 
ti South Sudan – launches exemplifying our 
commitment to helping social and economic 
redevelopment in challenging markets.

Nestlé Coffee Mate continues to grow by 
expanding the natural bliss range with exciting 
new flavours. All Nestlé Coffee Mate natural bliss 
products contain simple, all-natural ingredients 
and, as consumers seek more plant-based 
solutions, two new varieties were launched, 
Almond milk and Coconut milk.

24

Nespresso’s Limited Edition Cafecito de Cuba 
was the first Cuban coffee to be sold in the US 
for over 50 years.

The natural bliss range comes in 6 flavours 
including Vanilla and Sweet Cream. All natural 
bliss products are made with just a few simple 
ingredients.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nescafé Gold Barista blends pure Arabica 
coffee with finely ground beans. It offers 
exciting innovation in the premium category 
for the quality-conscious consumer.

The Nescafé Gold Blend Barista system offers 
full-bodied coffee with crema or layered 
cappuccinos and lattes with fresh milk or 
creamer at the touch of a button.

25

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Prepared dishes 
and Cooking aids

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 12.1 billion

+ 2.7%

+2.0%

15.0%

Trading operating profit margin

+130 basis points 

Our portfolio offers a range of products that are 
part of healthy and nutritious meals for families 
and individuals. By making food tastier and 
more balanced, we help people lead happier and 
healthier lives. We empower consumers to make 
informed food choices, ensuring our packaging 
and communication provides clear nutritional 
information and portion guidance.

We continue to drive growth through portfolio 

renovation, increasing the use of ingredients 
people know and trust while simplifying labels. 
This is a key part of our efforts to provide tastier 
and healthier products while responding to 
changing consumer demands.

In the United States Stouffer’s and Lean 
Cuisine are leaders in the frozen food category. 
Lean Cuisine Marketplace range offers organic 
ingredients along with gluten-free, high-protein, 
and no-preservative options. Our Stouffer’s 
FitKitchen range offers great taste and features 
25g or more of healthy protein, garden vegetables 
and complex carbohydrates.

In Europe, consumers are demanding a wide 

range of products for alternative diets. We 
introduced both gluten free pizza and a range of 
vegetarian products under the Garden Gourmet, 
Herta & Buitoni brands.

We recognise the role that we can play in 
tackling under-nutrition in developing markets. 
Fortified products like Maggi bouillon cubes and 
soups help reduce the effects of micronutrient 
deficiencies by providing iron and iodine. These 
efforts helped Nestlé become the #1 food 
company in Fortune magazine’s list of ‘Companies 
that Change the World’ in 2016.

26

The Garden Gourmet range of alternative 
proteins, and our organic and vegetarian 
ranges appeal to those seeking to reduce the 
amount of animal protein they consume.

Lean Cuisine is a leading brand in healthy 
eating, delivering great tasting recipes 
balanced with modern health benefits.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Maggi noodles was re-launched successfully 
in India, regaining its position as the leading 
noodle brand in the country.

27

Nestlé Annual Review 2016PetCare

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 12.1 billion

+ 5.3%

+ 4.4%

21.0%

Trading operating profit margin

+20 basis points 

Our commitment to nutrition, health and wellness 
extends to our PetCare range too. The Nestlé 
Purina portfolio includes some of the world’s 
best known brands of dog and cat foods. PetCare 
is a driver of growth worldwide for Nestlé, and 
continues to grow with the addition of a new 
premium brand, Merrick Backcountry.

We are ensuring the best nutrition for pets 
and focusing on product innovation in response 
to consumer desire for simpler ingredients. The 
Beneful line of dry dog food has been renovated 
with new recipes to support dogs’ overall health, 
while we brought new flavour combinations of 
Friskies Cat Concoctions wet cat food to the market.

To support dogs’ overall health, we also 

launched Purina Dentalife, a new range of snacks 
which clean dogs’ teeth while providing them a 
treat. The range gives Purina a strong position in 
the fast-developing pet oral care market.
Felix cat food continued expanding 

internationally this year, growing successfully in 
Australia and launching in Japan. The Felix range 
includes both wet and dry products including the 
popular Felix ‘As Good As It Looks’ line of wet cat 
food. Production of Felix was expanded in Europe, 
with the enlargement of a factory in Hungary, 
including more efficient, sustainable technology. 
The newly expanded facility will be Nestlé’s 
largest pet food production centre in Europe 
when it is completed in 2017.

In Europe, Purina also announced a new set 
of commitments to help improve the health and 
well-being of pets, people and the environment. 
The 10 ‘Purina in Society’ commitments are the 
first of their kind by a petcare company.

28

Felix became a worldwide brand with its 
introduction in Asia, along with expanded 
production in Europe.

Purina Dentalife was launched to deliver oral 
care solutions for dogs and position Purina as 
a leader in the growing oral care segment.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Merrick Backcountry is an all-natural, grain-free 
ancestral diet with added proteins for dogs and 
cats. Each Backcountry recipe is a combination of 
protein-rich, grain-free kibble with whole pieces 
of raw, freeze-dried meat, fish, or poultry.

29

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Confectionery

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 8.7 billion

+ 1.8%

–0.5%

13.7%

Trading operating profit margin

–30 basis points 

KitKat, the world’s third largest chocolate brand, 
continues to perform well. In 2016, to reinforce 
the brand’s iconic status, whilst responding to 
consumers’ demands for personalised, interactive 
experiences, we opened KitKat Chocolatory 
boutiques in key cities including Melbourne 
and Kuala Lumpur. This is a concept which 
was first launched in Japan in 2014 and which 
offers people the opportunity to build their 
own personalised KitKat from a range of over 
10,000 possible combinations. New boutiques 
will continue to open globally in 2017. KitKat also 
became the first global confectionery brand 
sourced 100% from certified sustainable cocoa 
under our Nestlé Cocoa Plan.

Our premium Swiss chocolate brand Cailler was 

launched internationally, focusing on China and 
the US. We also made a significant investment 
behind Baci Perugina to drive the international 
expansion of this famous Italian premium 
chocolate brand. In Europe, the successful launch 
of Les Recettes de l’Atelier chocolate tablets was 
expanded to new markets and complemented in 
France with a dark chocolate range.

At Nestlé, recognising that confectionery 

is a treat, we are committed to offering the 
tastiest and healthiest choices so people can feel 
better about enjoying their treat. In 2016, one 
example of making this ambition a reality was 
the improvement we made to the recipes of our 
brands for children, particularly Passatempo and 
Baton in Brazil, and Milkybar in the UK, increasing 
their milk content and reducing added sugar. In 
Australia, we reduced sugar and increased the 
amount of wholegrain in Uncle Tobys cereal bars, 
while a new range based on nuts and whole 
oats was successfully introduced. This focus on 
providing tastier and healthier treats will continue 
in 2017, including KitKat.

30

The Kitkat Chocolatory Moleson is exclusive 
to KitKat Chocolatory boutiques in Japan, and 
features a luxury combination of cranberries  
and almonds.

Uncle Tobys became the largest range of muesli 
bars in Australia to receive a 4 ‘health star’ rating. 
The range has 50% more wholegrains, and 40% 
less sugar in the yoghurt bars.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Les Recettes de l’Atelier is a range of chocolates 
made with artisanal spirit. With 8 flavour 
combinations, including blueberry with almond 
and hazelnut, it features whole nuts and chunks of 
fruit combined with strong, smooth chocolate.

Callier chocolate has been produced in Switzerland 
since 1819. It is made in the foothills of the Swiss 
Alps, using milk from local farms, sustainable 
cocoa and select ingredients.

31

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Water

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 7.4 billion

+ 5.0%

+5.0%

12.2%

Trading operating profit margin

+100 basis points 

consumption. Around the world several sites 
have been either opened or renovated in 2016, 
including one in the Italian town of Castrocielo. 
This new Nestlé Vera Natura bottling plant has 
zero greenhouse gas emissions thanks to a 
combination of solar panels, LED lighting, heat 
recapture and recycling technologies.

Nestlé Waters is core to the company’s Nutrition, 
Health and Wellness strategy with 52 water brands 
in its portfolio, including the world’s largest bottled 
water brand, Nestlé Pure Life, delivering quality, 
healthy hydration for individuals and families.
In 2016, our premium international brand 
Perrier completely reviewed its visual identity. It 
expanded its ‘Extraordinaire’ communications 
strategy, creating its first campaign dedicated 
to a new Perrier mineral water with a touch of 
flavour. The brand continued its long-standing 
sponsorship of the French Open tennis 
tournament. Our other premium international 
brand, the Italian mineral water S.Pellegrino, 
supported the development of new talent in 
gastronomy with its competition ‘S.Pellegrino 
Young Chef 2016’. Its new consumer and digital 
activation ’Itineraries of Taste’ associated the 
brand with the best of food, fashion and lifestyle. 
In North America, bottled water is set for the 

first time to outsell carbonated soft drinks by 
the end of the year. Poland Spring is leading the 
bottled spring water market, with Nestlé Pure 
Life and other brands actively contributing to this 
strong category growth. We are developing new 
e-commerce capabilities like the ReadyRefresh 
platform, offering people the convenience of 
home and office deliveries for their water and 
beverage purchases.

Nestlé promotes sustainable water practices 

throughout its operations. For Nestlé Waters, 
this starts at the source with engagement 
activities with local communities to ensure 
the sustainability of our shared public water 
resources. In 2016, a dedicated engagement 
programme was launched to ensure good 
relations and measure sentiment in our 
communities. Nestlé Waters strives also to 
operate the most efficient bottling plants. These 
‘smart factories’ aim to reduce water and energy 

32

The spring from which Perrier water is sourced has 
a unique balance of minerals and effervescence. 
This combination has made the Perrier brand the 
world leader of natural sparkling mineral water.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Nestlé Pure Life celebrated the company’s 
150 years with an anniversary logo. It is the 
world’s largest bottled water brand, available 
in over 40 countries across 5 continents.

From a source in the Italian Alps, S.Pellegrino 
is a 100% natural sparkling mineral water.  
It combines a perfectly balanced salinity and 
acidity with effervescent bubbles.

33

Nestlé Annual Review 2016150 years

Our 150th anniversary 
celebrations were an 
opportunity to honour the 
vision of our founders: a better 
world through nutrition. That 
passion for nutrition is echoed 
today in the efforts of our 
employees, working with our 
partners, to create products 
and services that enhance 
quality of life and contribute  
to a healthier future.

34

150 years

We should not underestimate what it takes to 
grow a business for 150 years. Our longevity is 
due in part to the fact that we have always clearly 
understood and anticipated the needs of society. 
We have combined this with the ability to adapt 
and to deliver products and services that respond 
to those needs, and also with our passion for 
quality. This approach has enabled us to grow 
continuously while creating shared value for our 
shareholders and for society.

Henri Nestlé understood that good health is 
linked with good nutrition. Products like his farine 
lactée, the infant cereal that saved the life of a 
child, or Maggi, developed for consumers who had 
moved to cities from the countryside, were the 
result of that ability to innovate to meet the needs 
of the communities in which we operated. Today, 
innovation is still one of the pillars on which this 
company is built.

In June, in the presence of the President of 

the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-
Ammann, we inaugurated nest in our hometown 
of Vevey. nest is a place where visitors can 
discover our history, our work, our creativity and 
our ideas for the future. It tells the story of the 
328 000 employees we are today, and of those 
who came before.

Sitting on the site where Henri Nestlé built 

his first factory and offices, nest showcases 
the extraordinary expansion of his early 
entrepreneurial efforts into the company we are 
today. It highlights Nestlé’s capacity to invent and 
innovate, and to adapt to the changing world. 
It underlines the importance of science and 
investment in Research and Development as we 
define our future. Passion is at the heart of nest. 
It is the true face of Nestlé. It shows how over the 
years our people have delivered our success. Our 
values, based on respect, have ensured we can 
deliver 150 years of growth. Our shared history 
can be found there and it offers a view of the 
future too, laying out how we will help address 
the challenges the world faces.

Sharing our knowledge on diet and nutrition 
has always been part of our vision. This is why 
for more than 30 years Nestlé has supported 
the Alimentarium, the world’s first food-themed 
interactive space, also in Vevey. It plays an 
important role in society: promoting a better 

36

Nestlé China launched a 6 month e-commerce 
and marketing campaign with Alibaba featuring 
over 150 products from around the world, many 
of which were available to Chinese consumers 
for the first time.

Nestlé Brazil celebrated the anniversary through 
sport, including a volleyball tournament 
featuring ‘150 years’ commemorative uniforms.

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Employees of Nestlé Portugal celebrated 
by forming a giant 150 on the lawn of 
the company’s headquarters.

Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa Zone 
Head Wan Ling Martello and Alibaba Group CEO 
Daniel Zhang came together for the launch of 
Nestlé China’s unique e-commerce campaign 
celebrating the Swiss roots of the company.

37

Nestlé Annual Review 2016150 years

understanding of nutrition. The Alimentarium 
aims to be a worldwide reference for food 
and nutrition, combining exploration, digital 
interactive learning and expertise. In 2016, it was 
transformed into a fully interactive online and 
offline experience, meaning its doors are always 
open, its contents always accessible. Its evolution 
into a centre of competence and learning about 
nutrition with a strong digital presence was 
marked at a ceremony in June, also as part of our 
anniversary celebrations. In our 150th year, the 
Alimentarium is a space which can satisfy the 
growing public curiosity about food, the role it 
plays in the health of our bodies and at the centre 
of our communities and social interactions.

Today, we are present in so many countries 

across the world. This global footprint gave 
us the opportunity to mark the anniversary in 
many different places with the people who buy 
our products and services, and to thank our 
employees whose hard work and commitment to 
our company deliver our success.

For example, in the United States of America, 

Nestlé’s biggest market, we underlined our 
commitment to society. The company organised 
our largest ever single day of community service 
in the USA, honouring the 120 hometowns across 
the country where you will find a Nestlé business. 
During the event, around 6000 employees worked 
with non-profit organisations, building on Nestlé 
USA’s partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs 
of America’s National Fitness Challenge.

In China, the company’s second biggest 
market, we shared our passion for nutrition 
with millions of people in a unique e-commerce 
event. The ‘Superbrand Day’ emphasised 
the Swiss roots of the company and also our 
determination, through digital, to find new ways 
to connect with the people who want to buy our 
products. In Belgium, at an event in Brussels, 
we reinforced our commitment to Europe at a 
conference that brought together more than 
400 external stakeholders. These included Euro-
parliamentarians, officials from the European 
Commission, non-governmental organisations 
and industry representatives.

There were also a number of events around 
the world celebrating the important contribution 
from our employees to the company’s continuing 

38

Nestlé inaugurated its new discovery centre, 
nest, on the site of founder Henri Nestlé’s 
original factory in Vevey, Switzerland. 
Designed by architect David Linford, the 
modernist design incorporates parts of the 
original structure into the new building.

CEO Paul Bulcke (L) and Chairman Peter 
Brabeck-Letmathe (R) welcomed the President 
of the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-
Ammann, (C) at the opening of nest in June.

Nestlé Annual Review 201611 500 employees from across Switzerland 
were invited to celebrate 150 years of passion 
for nutrition on June 24th.

CEO Paul Bulcke and Chairman Peter 
Brabeck-Letmathe welcomed employees 
from around Switzerland to the 150th 
celebrations in Lausanne.

39

Nestlé Annual Review 2016150 years

growth. In Switzerland, in addition to the 
events highlighted above, we held a party in 
Lausanne. It was the first time the company’s 
11 500 employees from around the country were 
invited to come together in one place. We also 
brought the global Nestlé family closer together 
with a social media campaign encouraging 
employees around the world to share their pride 
in working for Nestlé. The initiative, the first of its 
kind in our company on a global scale, reflects 
our determination to encourage our people to act 
as ambassadors for the company, as we work 
together to deliver future success.

This anniversary was not only a moment to 
celebrate our past, but also a chance to look to 
the future, and what we are doing to shape the 
next 150 years of our company. One of our core 
values is respect for the future, and this year 
was a good opportunity to consider how we will 
continue to care for future generations.

We live in times of immense challenge, 
unprecedented change and extraordinary 
possibility. The world has changed considerably in 
the last century and a half, and will continue to do 
so. We are well-positioned to continue to deliver 
sustainable growth because we constantly adapt, 
innovate and change. Our success is based upon 
our ability to continuously reinvent ourselves and 
our determination to seize opportunities to help 
address the challenges the world faces.

40

Nestlé’s discovery centre nest offers visitors 
an immersive discovery of the company’s 
past, present and future.

For the celebration, the company produced a 
new edition of the official history of Nestlé. It 
includes the historical development of 20 key 
brands within the Nestlé family. 

Nestlé Annual Review 2016The newly refurbished Alimentarium Museum 
of Food was inaugurated by CEO Paul Bulcke (L) 
and Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (R) in 
Nestlé’s home town, Vevey.

The Musée Jenisch in Vevey welcomed a 
special exhibition of the Nestlé Art Collection, 
featuring works by both international and local 
Swiss artists.

At the inauguration of the Alimentarium Museum 
of Food, Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe 
highlighted the importance of nutrition in 
supporting an active, healthy lifestyle.

41

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Financial review 

42
42

Nestlé Annual Review 2016

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Key figures (consolidated)

In millions of CHF (except for data per share and employees)

Results 
Sales 
Trading operating profit 
as % of sales 
Profit for the year attributable to shareholders of the parent (Net profit)
as % of sales 

Balance sheet and Cash flow statement
Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent 

Net financial debt

Ratio of net financial debt to equity (gearing)
Operating cash flow 
as % of net financial debt
Free cash flow (a)
Capital expenditure 
as % of sales 

Data per share
Weighted average number of shares outstanding (in millions of units)

Basic earnings per share 
Underlying earnings per share (b)
Dividend as proposed by the Board of Directors of Nestlé S.A.

Market capitalisation, end December

Number of employees (in thousands)

2015

2016

88 785 

13 382 

15.1%

9 066 

10.2%

 89 469 

 13 693 

15.3%

 8 531 

9.5%

62 338 

15 425 

24.7%

 64 590 

 13 913 

21.5%

14 302 

 15 582 

92.7%

112.0%

9 945 

3 872 

4.4%

 10 108 

 4 010 

4.5%

 3 129 

 3 091 

CHF

CHF

CHF

2.90

3.31

2.25

2.76

3.40

2.30

 229 947 

 226 310 

 335 

 328 

(a)   Operating cash flow less capital expenditure, expenditure on intangible assets, investments (net of divestments) in associates and 

joint ventures, and other investing cash flows.

(b)   Profit per share for the year attributable to shareholders of the parent before impairments, restructuring costs, results on disposals 

and significant one-off items. The tax impact from the adjusted items is also adjusted for.

Principal key figures (c) (illustrative) in CHF, USD, EUR
In millions (except for data per share)

Sales

Trading operating profit

Profit for the year attributable to shareholders of the parent (Net profit)

Total CHF

Total CHF

Total USD Total USD Total EUR

Total EUR

2015

 88 785 

 13 382 

 9 066 

2016

 89 469 

 13 693 

 8 531 

2015

 92 143 

 13 889 

 9 409 

2016

 90 796 

 13 896 

 8 658 

2015

2016

 83 153 

 82 055 

 12 533 

 12 558 

 8 491 

 7 824 

Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent 

 62 338 

 64 590 

 63 012 

 63 156 

 57 651 

 60 075 

Market capitalisation, end December

 229 947 

 226 310 

 232 434 

 221 287 

 212 658 

 210 490 

Data per share

Basic earnings per share 

2.90

2.76

3.01

 2.80 

2.72

 2.53 

(c)   Income statement figures translated at weighted average annual rate; Balance sheet figures at year-end rate.

43

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
Group overview

Introduction
Our 2016 organic growth was at the high end 
of the industry but at the lower end of our 
expectations. We saw a solid trading operating 
profit margin improvement and our cash flow 
grew significantly. In 2017, we expect organic 
growth between 2% and 4%. In order to 
drive future profitability, we plan to increase 
restructuring costs considerably in 2017. As  
a result, the trading operating profit margin 
in constant currency is expected to be stable. 
Underlying earnings per share in constant 
currency and capital efficiency are expected to 
increase.

Sales by geographic areas

Differences 2016/2015 (in %)

By principal markets

United States

Greater China Region

France

Brazil

Germany

Philippines

United Kingdom

Mexico

Canada

Italy

Japan

Spain

Australia

Switzerland

Russia

Rest of the world

Total

(a)   Not applicable.

in CHF

+ 5.6%

– 7.4%

– 7.6%

+ 5.0%

– 1.9%

+ 3.6%

– 9.3%

– 5.6%

+ 2.5%

– 0.3%

+ 21.3%

+ 1.3%

+ 1.3%

– 4.8%

+ 5.2%

– 0.1%

+ 0.8%

in local 
currency

+ 3.2%

– 4.4%

– 9.5%

+ 6.5%

– 3.9%

+ 5.7%

+ 0.4%

+ 8.7%

+ 3.5%

– 2.4%

+ 6.8%

– 0.8%

– 0.8%

– 4.8%

+ 11.9%
(a)

(a)

in CHF 
millions

2016

26 704 

6 536 

4 478 

4 120 

2 874 

2 741 

2 725 

2 596 

1 893 

1 861 

1 747 

1 690 

1 519 

1 475 

1 400 

25 110 

89 469 

Geographic sales and organic growth 

OG (%)

6

4

2

0

P  AMS +4.5%  

CHF 40.2 billion 

P  EMENA +1.9% 
CHF 26.8 billion

P  AOA +2.8% 

CHF 22.5 billion

Sales 

22.5 

  27.5 

  32.5 

  37.5 

 CHF billion

Each region includes sales of the corresponding Zones, as well as  
Nestlé Waters, Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Professional, Nespresso,  
Nestlé Health Science and Nestlé Skin Health.

Broad-based growth

Sales (in billions of CHF)

Real internal growth (RIG) %

Pricing %

Organic Growth (OG) %

Group

 89.5 

+ 2.4%

+ 0.8%

+ 3.2%

EMENA

 26.8 

+ 2.4%

– 0.5%

+ 1.9%

AMS

 40.2 

+ 2.0%

+ 2.5%

+ 4.5%

AOA

 22.5 

+ 3.0%

– 0.2%

+ 2.8%

Developed  
Markets

Emerging 
Markets

 52.1 

+ 2.3%

– 0.6%

+ 1.7%

 37.4 

+ 2.4%

+ 2.9%

+ 5.3%

44

Nestlé Annual Review 2016

 
 
 
Group results
In 2016, sales increased by 0.8% to CHF 89.5 billion, 
with a foreign exchange impact of -1.6%. 
Acquisitions net of divestitures reduced sales 
by 0.8%. Organic growth was 3.2%, with real 
internal growth reaching a three-year high of 
2.4%. Pricing was limited at 0.8%, with some 
improvement in the second half of the year and 
we expect pricing to improve further for the 
full year 2017. Organic and real internal growth 
were broad-based, highlighting the strength and 
resilience of our diversified portfolio. Innovation 
supported volume growth, with 30% of sales 
coming from products introduced or renovated in 
the last 3 years. E-commerce accounted for 5% of 
sales, up 18% year-on-year. 

Trading operating profit
Trading operating profit was CHF 13.7 billion 
with a margin of 15.3%, up 20 basis points on a 
reported basis and up 30 basis points in constant 
currency. We achieved this margin improvement 
while increasing investment in brand support, 
digital marketing, Research and Development, 
and in the new nutrition and health platforms. 
Consumer-facing marketing spend increased by 
6.3% in constant currency. Restructuring costs 
doubled to CHF 300 million in 2016 to support 
structural cost-saving initiatives. 

Net profit
Net profit of CHF 8.5 billion was impacted by 
several items, the largest one being a one-off 
non-cash adjustment to deferred taxes. Reported 
earnings per share decreased by 4.8% to CHF 2.76, 
for the same reasons. Underlying earnings per 
share in constant currency increased by 3.4%.

15.3%

15.3%

13 693

13 382

15.1%

Trading operating profit  

14 000

13 000

12 000

2015

2016

P P 
P P 

In millions of CHF
In % of sales

Operating segments: trading operating profit

In % of sales

Zone EMENA

Zone AMS

Zone AOA

Nestlé Waters

Nestlé Nutrition
Other businesses (a)

(a)   Mainly Nestlé Professional, Nespresso, Nestlé Health Science 

and Nestlé Skin Health.

15.0%

14.7%

16.7

19.3

19.0

11.9

22.7 

15.2 

45

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Sales by geographic area

Employees by geographic area

Factories by geographic area

AMS

EMENA (a)

AOA

44.9%

(2015: 44.1%)

30.0%

(2015: 30.9%)

25.1%

(2015: 25.0%)

33.2%

(2015: 32.5%)

33.2%

(2015: 34.7%)

33.6%

(2015: 32.8%)

158

(2015: 161)

151

(2015: 166)

109

(2015: 109)

(a)   10 046 employees in Switzerland in 2016.

Employees by activity

In thousands

Factories

Administration and sales

Total

2015

170

165

335

2016

168

160

328

46

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Cash flow and working capital
Operating cash flow improved by CHF 1.3 billion 
to CHF 15.6 billion (17.4% of sales) due in part to 
the reduction of working capital. Free cash flow 
improved by CHF 200 million to CHF 10.1 billion 
(11.3% of sales). This demonstrates our ability 
to generate strong cash flow consistently even 
in a challenging foreign exchange environment. 
Average working capital decreased by 190 basis 
points from 4.7% to 2.8% of sales (average of  
last five quarters). 

Financial position
The Group’s net debt decreased from 
CHF 15.4 billion to CHF 13.9 billion in 2016.  
Our strong free cash flow of CHF 10.1 billion  
more than offset the payment of the dividend  
of CHF 6.9 billion.

Return on invested capital
The Group’s return on invested capital including 
goodwill and intangible assets improved by 
30 basis points to 11.2%. Return on invested 
capital before goodwill and intangible assets 
improved by 180 basis points to 31.7%.

Dividend
The Board of Directors is proposing a dividend of 
CHF 2.30 per share, up from CHF 2.25 last year.

Outlook
In 2017, we expect organic growth between 2% 
and 4%. In order to drive future profitability, we 
plan to increase restructuring costs considerably 
in 2017. As a result, the trading operating profit 
margin in constant currency is expected to be 
stable. Underlying earnings per share in constant 
currency and capital efficiency are expected to 
increase.

Evolution of the Nestlé S.A. share in 2016

in CHF

75.00

70.00

65.00

60.00

105.0%

100.0%

95.0%

90.0%

85.0%

| 

| 

| 
| 
J  F  M  A  M  J 

| 

| 

| 

| 

| 
|
J  A  S  O  N  D

| 

| 

P  Nestlé S.A. share
P  Nestlé relative to Swiss Market Index

Earnings per share

in CHF

Operating cash flow

in billions of CHF

2.90

2.76

15.6

14.3

2015

2016

2015

2016

Dividend per share

in CHF

2.20

2.15

2.05

2.30

2.25

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

47

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
Product category and operating segment review

2015

2016

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

8 880 

9 072 

10 365 

10 720 

19 245 

19 792 

4 100 

4 111 

7 112 

7 414 

796 

906 

10 686 

10 540 

3 951 

3 791 

14 637 

14 331 

2 471 

2 640 

14 854 

15 038 

2 909 

2 775 

6 984 

5 595 

6 512 

5 636 

12 579 

12 148 

1 724 

1 817 

6 365 

1 130 

1 375 

8 870 

1 246 

6 267 

1 111 

1 301 

8 679 

1 190 

11 488 

12 067 

2 386 

2 535 

45.8%

54.2%

100.0%

+ 3.7%

+ 4.6%

+ 5.0%

+ 5.0%

20.8%

12.2%

73.5%

26.5%

100.0%

+ 0.5%

+ 1.6%

+ 1.6%

+ 2.0%

18.4%

18.5%

53.6%

46.4%

100.0%

+ 2.0%

+ 2.7%

15.0%

72.2%

12.8%

15.0%

100.0%

– 0.5%

+ 1.8%

13.7%

21.0%

+ 4.4%

+ 5.3%

Leading positions in dynamic categories

In millions of CHF

Powdered and Liquid Beverages
Soluble coffee / coffee systems

Other

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Water
Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Milk products and Ice cream
Milk products

Ice cream

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Nutrition and Health Science
Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Prepared dishes and cooking aids
Frozen and chilled

Culinary and other

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Confectionery
Chocolate

Sugar confectionery

Biscuits

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

PetCare
Total sales

Trading operating profit 

48

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Brazil, we had high single-digit organic growth. 
Significant price increases at the end of the first 
half of the year impacted volumes in the short 
term. Nescafé Dolce Gusto and KitKat continued 
to grow in double digits. In Mexico, there was 
another year of good growth, which was broad-
based across dairy, coffee creamers, soluble 
coffee, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and chocolate.
PetCare continued to deliver strong growth 
across the region. 

The trading operating profit margin decreased 

by 10 basis points, due to an increase in 
restructuring costs. The profitability improved 
in North America, but Latin America was largely 
affected by high cost inflation caused by currency 
depreciation and commodity prices.

Zone Americas (AMS)

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 26.4 billion

+ 4.2%

+ 1.3%

19.3%

Trading operating profit margin

– 10 basis points

The Zone reported good and consistent organic 
growth. 

In North America growth accelerated year-
on-year. In PetCare, innovation supported good 
growth across the cat food range. In dog food, 
the premium portfolio performed well as Merrick, 
Purina ONE and Pro Plan all delivered double-digit 
growth. Beneful stabilised as there was progress in 
restaging the brand. Coffee Mate sustained good 
momentum through innovations such as 64 oz. 
and new flavours in natural bliss. Lean Cuisine  
and Stouffer’s Fit Kitchen delivered strong organic 
growth supported by new line extensions.  
The performance of Confectionery in the US 
was disappointing, impacted by the competitive 
environment and low growth in the mainstream 
chocolate market. 

In Latin America strong organic growth 
was led by price increases following currency 
depreciation, as real internal growth slowed. In 

Zone AMS 

In millions of CHF

United States and Canada

Latin America and Caribbean

Powdered and Liquid Beverages

Milk products and Ice cream

Prepared dishes and cooking aids

Confectionery

PetCare

Total sales

2015

2016

17 187 

17 974 

8 657 

8 382 

2 860 

6 609 

4 833 

3 454 

8 088 

2 771 

6 764 

4 922 

3 340 

8 559 

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

68.2%

31.8%

10.4%

25.7%

18.7%

12.7%

32.5%

25 844 

26 356 

100.0%

+ 1.3%

+ 4.2%

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

5 021 

1 038 

5 074 

1 030 

19.3%

3.9%

49

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA)

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 16.2 billion

+ 2.0%

+ 2.7%

16.7%

Trading operating profit margin

+ 100 basis points

The Zone delivered strong real internal growth, 
accelerating for a fourth consecutive year and 
gaining market share, showing the ability to 
innovate. 

In Western Europe, positive organic growth 
was due to solid real internal growth. Pricing was 
negative, affected by sustained low commodity 
prices, trade pressure and intense competition. 
PetCare, Nescafé and pizza continued to be the 
key sources of growth across most markets. In 
Germany and France, we had solid real internal 
growth, while there was good organic and real 
internal growth in Southern Europe. In the UK, on 
the other hand, it was a particularly challenging 
year with both volume and pricing declining 
slightly.

Central and Eastern Europe continued to 
deliver strong organic growth on the basis of 
good real internal growth and positive pricing. 
In Russia, we achieved double-digit organic 

growth with positive real internal growth. This 
included strong growth in Nescafé soluble coffee, 
especially Barista. Russia was Nestlé’s strongest 
performing market in PetCare globally, led by Felix 
cat food. Inflation in Russia and Ukraine drove 
positive pricing in the region, whilst all other 
markets experienced deflationary pricing.

Business remained resilient in the Middle East 

and North Africa with positive organic growth, 
but the unstable environment and deflationary 
pressure slowed momentum. Events in Iraq, 
Yemen, Libya and Syria continued to have an 
effect. There was also deflationary pressure 
on dairy in the region. In Turkey, Nescafé and 
Confectionery drove double-digit growth. The 
North Africa market also did well.

The trading operating profit margin improved 
by 100 basis points even as restructuring costs 
and marketing investment increased. Profitability 
improved across most categories as a result of 
premiumisation, volume leverage, efficiency 
savings and favourable input costs. Portfolio 
management also contributed positively with the 
creation of the Froneri joint venture in ice cream. 

Zone EMENA 

In millions of CHF

Western

Eastern and Central

Middle East and North Africa

Powdered and Liquid Beverages

Milk products and Ice cream

Prepared dishes and cooking aids

Confectionery

PetCare

Total sales

2015

2016

11 022 

10 828 

2 629 

2 752 

4 366 

2 171 

3 853 

3 124 

2 889 

2 704 

2 717 

4 477 

1 992 

3 757 

3 043 

2 980 

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

66.6%

16.6%

16.8%

27.6%

12.3%

23.1%

18.7%

18.3%

16 403 

16 249 

100.0%

+ 2.7%

+ 2.0%

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

2 572 

710 

2 712 

738 

16.7%

4.5%

50

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Zone Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA)

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 14.5 billion

+ 3.2%

+2.9%

19.0%

Trading operating profit margin

+ 60 basis points

The Zone saw real internal growth and organic 
growth gain increasing momentum throughout the 
year, with market shares recovering and almost all 
markets contributing.

The Zone’s emerging markets had a good year 
overall with growth accelerating in most businesses. 
Yinlu was the main exception, decreasing the Zone’s 
organic growth by 260 basis points. In China, the 
double-digit decline of Yinlu affected overall growth. 
Several initiatives to turn around the business are 
in place and stabilisation is expected in 2017. Dairy 
(excluding Yinlu) and Confectionery grew positively 
and Nescafé performed well. South East Asia was 
strong with double-digit growth in Vietnam and 
Indonesia, especially from dairy and Milo. The 
Philippines also performed well with high single-
digit growth, particularly due to Bear Brand in dairy. 
There was good growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Real 
internal growth remained positive despite price 
increases to offset currency depreciation. There 

was double-digit growth in Central and West 
Africa (including Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria) 
and in Equatorial Africa (including Angola), with 
Maggi and Nido doing well. Our business in India 
grew strongly despite some disruptive impact 
from demonetisation at the end of the year. 
Maggi noodles continued to regain market share. 
Confectionery also did well with KitKat. There was 
also strong growth in Pakistan from dairy, ready-
to-drink and other categories.

In the developed markets there was good 
growth in Japan and solid real internal growth 
in Oceania. Japan’s organic growth was above 
the Zone and Group averages, balanced evenly 
between real internal growth and pricing. This 
was based on innovation and premiumisation 
across Nescafé and KitKat. In Oceania, there 
was solid real internal growth in line with the 
Group, which was largely offset by continuing 
deflationary pressure.

The Zone improved its trading operating 
profit margin by 60 basis points while also 
increasing marketing investment. Positive gross 
margin development was helped by favourable 
input costs, particularly in dairy, as well as cost 
efficiencies and improved volumes and product 
mix. The effect of an increase in restructuring 
spend was more than offset by lower one-off 
costs related to Maggi in India.

Zone AOA

In millions of CHF

ASEAN markets

Oceania and Japan

Other Asian markets

Sub-Saharan Africa

Powdered and Liquid Beverages

Milk products and Ice cream

Prepared dishes and cooking aids

Confectionery

PetCare

Total sales

2015

4 260 

2 494 

5 692 

1 892 

4 979 

4 932 

1 969 

1 947 

511 

2016

4 492 

2 726 

5 464 

1 811 

5 223 

4 710 

2 052 

1 980 

528 

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

31.0%

18.8%

37.7%

12.5%

36.0%

32.5%

14.2%

13.7%

3.6%

14 338 

14 493 

100.0%

+ 2.9%

+ 3.2%

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

2 632 

482 

2 756 

512 

19.0%

3.5%

51

Nestlé Annual Review 2016The flagship international brand Nestlé Pure Life 
made a good contribution, with organic growth 
above the Nestlé Waters average.

There was a strong trading operating profit 
margin improvement of 110 basis points while 
marketing investment also increased. This was 
possible due to a combination of volume growth, 
positive product mix through premiumisation, 
operational cost efficiencies and favourable input 
costs.

Nestlé Waters

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 7.9 billion

+ 4.5%

+ 4.5%

11.9%

Trading operating profit margin

+ 110 basis points

Nestlé Waters maintained its good organic 
growth momentum based on real internal growth. 
Pricing remained flat.

In the US, international premium brands 

saw another year of dynamic growth and 
there were contributions above the Group and 
Nestlé Waters averages from regional brands 
Poland Spring, Ice Mountain and Deer Park. 
The shutdown of a factory in Texas following 
a tornado in April had a negative impact. In 
Europe, the majority of markets maintained 
growth after 2015 had been a strong year due 
to the heatwave. There were good contributions 
from the UK, Spain and Germany. Of the other 
markets, South East Asia, Mexico and North 
Africa did well.

Further strong growth came from the 

international premium sparkling brands Perrier 
and S.Pellegrino, which grew twice as fast as the 
mainstream portfolio.

2015

1 949 

4 131 

1 545 

2016

1 966 

4 385 

1 575 

7 625 

7 926 

825 

432 

946 

496 

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

24.8%

55.3%

19.9%

100.0%

+ 4.5%

+ 4.5%

11.9%

6.3%

Nestlé Waters

In millions of CHF

Europe

United States and Canada

Other regions

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

52

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Mucilon Iron Plus cereals in Brazil and NAN Optipro 
in Mexico. Growth in South East Asia was also solid 
with the Philippines doing well.

The improvement in trading operating profit 
margin was broad-based across infant formula, 
as well as baby food, due to sustained low dairy 
prices. At the same time, marketing investment 
behind brands increased.

Nestlé Nutrition

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 10.3 billion

+ 1.5%

+ 0.9%

22.7%

Trading operating profit margin

+ 10 basis points

Nestlé Nutrition grew in the context of changed 
category dynamics, particularly in China, and 
deflationary pressure owing to sustained low milk 
prices. 

Market dynamics in China were weak ahead of 

the implementation of new regulation, resulting 
in adjustments of trade inventory levels in both 
mainland China and Hong Kong. Low dairy prices 
and intense competition had an impact on pricing, 
particularly in the premium segment. At the same 
time, illuma had another strong year of growth, 
gaining share to become the leading brand in 
its category in China. We also strengthened our 
capabilities in e-commerce, winning market share 
in this important channel. 

Growth in the US was slow during the year. We 

started to renovate the Gerber brand and made 
improvements to product packaging and recipes, 
including many organic offerings. Latin America 
saw strong momentum led by innovations such as 

Nestlé Nutrition

In millions of CHF

EMENA

AMS

AOA

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

2015

2 062 

3 688 

4 711 

2016

1 978 

3 751 

4 597 

10 461 

10 326 

2 361 

489 

2 342 

414 

Proportion of total sales (%)

RIG (%)

OG (%)

19.2%

36.3%

44.5%

100.0%

+ 0.9%

+ 1.5%

22.7%

4.0%

53

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Other businesses

Sales

Organic growth

Real internal growth

Trading operating profit margin

CHF 14.1 billion

+ 3.7%

+ 3.4%

15.2%

Trading operating profit margin

– 50 basis points

Nestlé Professional continued to grow, led by 
mid-single-digit growth in emerging markets 
with strong growth in Russia and Mexico, and 
solid growth in China. The US also had good 
organic growth while business in Canada and 
Western Europe declined. As from 2017, Nestlé 
Professional is integrated into the Zones due to 
increasing demand for more customised products 
and services on a local and regional basis. 

Nespresso continued to grow in its 30th year. 
The US and Canada saw strong momentum from 
the continued success of the VertuoLine system. 
Sales in France also benefitted from the launch 
of VertuoLine at the end of the year. The UK saw 
strong acceleration following brand investment 
and the launch of a subscription model. In Asia, 
both China and Korea performed well.

Nestlé Health Science maintained a good pace 

of growth. Consumer Care was once again the 
key source of growth including the Boost range 

of products, Carnation Breakfast Essentials and, 
in Europe, Meritene. Medical Nutrition benefitted 
from strong contributions from the allergy 
portfolio (especially in China), Vitaflo and oral 
nutritional supplements in key markets.

Nestlé Skin Health performed well in consumer 

care. However, we adjusted inventory levels 
in the trade at the end of the year. Increased 
competition and pressure from generics affected 
the US prescription business.

The trading operating profit margin of this 
segment was impacted by Nestlé Skin Health. 
Adjustment of trade inventories and higher 
restructuring and litigation costs affected 
profitability. Nestlé Health Science also absorbed 
higher restructuring costs. Nestlé Professional 
and Nespresso both improved their profitability, 
helped by favourable input costs.

Other businesses (a)
In millions of CHF

Total sales

Trading operating profit 

Capital expenditure

2015

2016

14 114 

14 119 

2 221 

518 

2 144 

619 

RIG (%)

+ 3.4%

OG (%)

+ 3.7%

15.2%

4.4%

(a)   Mainly Nespresso, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Health Science and Nestlé Skin Health.

54

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Principal risks and uncertainties

Group Risk Management
The Nestlé Group Enterprise Risk Management 
Framework (ERM) is designed to identify, 
communicate, and mitigate risks in order to 
minimise their potential impact on the Group and 
ensure the achievement of Nestlé’s long-term goals.
A top-down assessment is performed at Group 

level once a year to create a good understanding 
of the company’s mega-risks, to allocate 
ownership to drive specific actions around them 
and take any relevant steps to address them. A 
bottom-up assessment occurs in parallel resulting 
in the aggregation of individual assessments by 
all Markets and Globally Managed Businesses. 
Additionally, Nestlé engages with external 
stakeholders to better understand the issues that 
are of most concern to them. For each issue, the 
materiality matrix (included in the Nestlé in society 
report) rates the degree of stakeholder concern 
and potential business impact. These different 
risk mappings allow the Group to make sound 
decisions on the future operations of the company. 
Risk assessments are the responsibility of line 
management; this applies equally to a business, 
a market or a function, and any mitigating actions 
identified in the assessments are the responsibility 
of the individual line management. If Group-level 
intervention is required, responsibility for mitigating 
actions will generally be determined by the 
Executive Board. 

The results of the Group ERM are presented 
annually to the Executive Board, half-yearly to the 
Audit Committee, and reported annually to the 
Board of Directors. 

The factors identified below are considered the 
most relevant for our business and performance. 
Many of the long-term mitigation strategies are 
expanded on in our Nestlé in society report.

Factors affecting results
Nestlé’s reputation is based on consumers’ trust. 
Any major event triggered by a serious food safety 
or other compliance issue could have a negative 
effect on Nestlé’s reputation or brand image. 
The Group has policies, processes, controls and 
regular monitoring to ensure high-quality products 
and prevention of health risks arising from 
handling, preparation and storage throughout the 
value chain. 

The success of the Nestlé Group depends on its 
ability to anticipate consumer preferences and 
to offer high-quality, competitive, relevant and 
innovative products. Our Nutrition, Health and 
Wellness strategy aims to enhance people’s lives 
at all stages through industry-leading research 
and development to drive innovation and the 
continuous improvement of our portfolio. 

The food and beverage industry is faced with 

the global challenge of increasing obesity. The 
Group has long-term objectives to apply scientific 
and nutritional know-how to enhance nutrition, 
health and wellness, contributing to healthier 
eating, drinking and lifestyle habits, as well as 
accessibility of safe and affordable food.

Nestlé is dependent on the sustainable supply 

of a number of raw and packaging materials. 
Longer-term changes in weather patterns; 
water shortages; shift in production patterns; 
economic and social inequality in supply chains, 
etc. could result in capacity constraints, as well 
as reputational damage. The Group has long-
term commitments to promote better agricultural 
practices, support rural development in line with 
local priorities, and address supply chain issues 
from gender inequality to deforestation. Progress 
against these commitments is monitored to 
ensure positive social and environmental impacts 
along with delivering our own growth strategy.

Nestlé is reliant on the procurement of materials, 

manufacturing and supply of finished goods for 
all product categories. A major event impacting 
input prices, or in one of Nestlé’s key plants, at a 
key supplier, contract manufacturer, co-packer, 
and/or warehouse facility could potentially lead to 
a supply disruption. Active price risk management 
on key commodities and business continuity 
plans are established and regularly maintained in 
order to mitigate against such events. 

Changing customer relationships and landscape 
may inhibit our growth if we fail to maintain strong 
engagements or adapt to changing customer 
needs. Our strategy is to maintain and develop 
strong relationships with customers across 
the world to help them win in their respective 
prioritized categories where we operate. Nestlé 
manages risks related to climate change and 
water resources. Our long-term commitments 
and strategies on climate change and water are 

55

Nestlé Annual Review 2016to operate. Any of these events could lead to  
a supply disruption and impact Nestlé’s financial 
results. Regular monitoring and ad hoc business 
continuity plans are established in order to 
mitigate against such events. The Group-wide 
geographical and product category spreads 
represents a tremendous natural hedge.

available in Nestlé’s response to the CDP Climate 
Change report and Water questionnaires also in 
the Nestlé in society report. 

The Group is subject to environmental regimes 

applying in all countries where it operates and 
has controls in place to comply with legislation 
concerning the protection of the environment, 
including the use of natural resources, release 
of air emissions and waste water, and the 
generation, storage, handling, transportation, 
treatment and disposal of waste materials.

Nestlé is subject to health and safety regimes 

in all countries where it operates. Nestlé has 
procedures in place to comply with legislation 
concerning the protection of the health and 
welfare of employees and contractors, as well as 
long-term initiatives to promote safe and healthy 
employee behaviours.

The ability to attract and retain skilled, talented 

employees is critical to achieving our strategy. 
Our initiatives and processes aim to sustain  
a high-performance culture, supported by a total 
awards approach and people development that 
emphasises diversity, innovation and growth.

The Group depends on accurate, timely data 

along with increasing integration of digital 
solutions, services and models, both internal 
and external. Disruption impacting the reliability, 
security and privacy of the data, as well as the 
IT infrastructure, is a threat. Contingency plans 
along with policies and controls are in place 
aiming to protect and ensure compliance on both 
infrastructure and data.

The Group’s liquidities/liabilities (currency, 
interest rate, hedging, cost of capital, pension 
obligations/retirement benefits, banking/
commercial credit, etc.) could be impacted by 
any major event in the financial markets. Nestlé 
has the appropriate risk mitigation measures in 
place with strong governance to actively manage 
exposures and long-term asset and liability outlook.
Nestlé has factories in 86 countries and sales  
in 191 countries. Security, political instability, legal 
and regulatory, fiscal, macroeconomic, foreign 
trade, labour and/or infrastructure risks could 
potentially impact Nestlé’s ability to do business 
in a country or region. Major events caused by 
natural hazards (such as flood, drought, infectious 
disease, etc.) could also impact the Group’s ability 

56

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Factories

Americas (AMS)

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Guatemala

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Peru

Trinidad and Tobago

United States

Uruguay

Venezuela

6 P L P
1

P L P L P L

L P L

L

L
22 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L P L P L P L

L P L P L P L P L

L

Bulgaria

L P L P L P L P L P L

7 P L P L P L
7 P L
4 P L
1

L

L

L P L

3

L P L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L

L P L

L P L P L P L P L

L
11 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L

L P L

L

L

L P L

L P L

L

L

L P L P L P L P L

L

L

L

L
77 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L

1 P L
5 P L

L

L

L P L

L

L

Italy

L P L P L P L P L P L

Jordan

2

L
3 P L
3 P L

1 P L
2

L
1 P L
1 P L

Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA)

Angola

Australia

Bangladesh

Cameroon

Côte d’Ivoire

1

L
9 P L
1 P L
1 P L
2 P L

L P L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L P L P L

P

P L P L P

P L

L P L

Democratic Republic 
of Congo (DRC)

Ethiopia

Ghana

1

1

L

L P L

L P L

L

P

1 P L

L P L P L

L P L

Greater China Region

30 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

India

Indonesia

Japan

Kenya

Malaysia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Republic of Korea

Senegal

Singapore

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Vietnam

Zimbabwe

7 P L
4 P L
3 P L
1 P L
7 P L
2

L

P

P L P L P L

L P L P L

L P L

L P L P L P L P L

L P L P L P L

L

L P L P L P L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L

3 P L P
4 P L P
1 P L
5 P L
1

L P L

P L P L

P L

L P L

P L P L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L P L

1

L P L

L P L

L P L P L P L

L
2 P L
6 P L
1 P L
L P L P L P L
8 P L P L P L P L P L
5 P L P L P L
1 P L

P L P L P L

L P L

L

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA)

Algeria

Austria

Bahrain

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Egypt

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iran

Iraq 

Ireland

Israel

Lebanon

Morocco

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Slovak Republic

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Uzbekistan

2 P L P
1 P L
1

L P L

L

1

1

3

1

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

P L

L

L

L  P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L

L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

2 P L P L P L P L P
2

L P L P L
20 P L P L P L  P L P L
L P L
15 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

P L

L

L

L

2 P L P L
2 P L
2

L P

L

L

L 

L

L

L P L

1

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

1

L
9 P L

L P L P L

L P L P L P

P L

11 P L P L

1

2

L P L

L P L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L

L

L

L
L P L
5 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L
3 P L
1

L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L

L

L

L P L

L

L

L P L P L P L P L P L

1 P L
1

1

L
1 P L
6 P L
7

L P L

L

L

L

L

L

1

L

L
10 P L P L P L P L P L P L P L

L P L

L

L

L

2 P L

L
11 P L P L

L

L

L

L

L P L P L P L

1

L

L

L

L

P L

L
1 P L
2 P L P L
3 P L
L
3 P L P L P L
9 P L P L P L P L
2

P L P L

L P

L

L

L

L

P L

L P

L P L P L

L P L P L

L P L P L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

The figure in black after the 
country denotes the number  
of factories.
P  Local production (may 
represent production  
in several factories).
L  Imports (may, in a few 
particular cases,  
represent purchases  
from third parties in  
the market concerned).

P  Powdered and Liquid 

Beverages 

P  Water
P  Milk products and Ice cream
P  Nutrition and Health Science
P  Prepared dishes and  

cooking aids
P  Confectionery
P  PetCare

57

P L P L P L P

United Arab Emirates

L

L

L P

Republic of Serbia

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
Corporate Governance
and Compliance

58

Nestlé Annual Review 2016

Corporate Governance

Our Board of Directors sets our long-term 
strategy and provides oversight on the basis of 
strong principles and an appropriate tone from 
the top. It ensures the long-term success of our 
company based on a clear strategy and good 
corporate governance. Its focus on corporate 
culture helps us align the interests between our 
business, our wider stakeholders and society.

In 2016, our Board of Directors announced its 
succession plans for the Chairman and the CEO. 
The proposed solution will help ensure the long-
term strategic direction of the company set by the 
Board of Directors and concludes a process that 
the Board had started two years ago.

Also in 2016, we created a new Nomination 
and Sustainability Committee. This Committee 
prepares the succession planning of the Board 
and periodically reviews other measures which 
ensure our company’s sustainability and how its 
long-term strategy relates to our ability to create 
shared value.

Nestlé’s purpose is enhancing quality of life 
and contributing to a healthier future. Beyond a 
strong focus on board composition, structure and 
processes, our Board ensures that the company’s 
purpose and its values, strategies and business 
model are aligned. Performance management 
and rewards are consistent with this approach.
Our Chairman’s and Corporate Governance 
Committee liaises between the Chairman and 
the full Board, acts as a consultant body to the 
Chairman and CEO, and regularly reviews all 
aspects of our Governance. It also advises on 
financial matters.

Our Compensation Committee sets our 
remuneration principles and prepares the 
proposals for remuneration to the Board and the 
AGM. Our Compensation Report is submitted 
annually to an advisory vote of our shareholders. 
In 2016, all proposals received strong support.
Our Audit Committee oversees internal and 
external audit, financial reporting, compliance and 
risk management.

Our strategy, as set by the Board and enshrined 
by our shareholders in our Articles of Association, 
aims for long-term, sustainable value creation. 
Transparency and reporting on a wide range of 
financial and non-financial commitments ensure 
our accountability. Through our Chairman’s 

Roundtables, roadshows, investor meetings, 
analyst and engagement calls, as well as 
stakeholder convenings, we actively engage with 
the providers of capital and other stakeholders to 
ensure our sustainable long-term growth.

We recognize that for our company to be 
successful over the long term and create value 
for shareholders, we must also create value for 
society.

Share capital distribution by geography

P	 Switzerland 
P	 United States 
P	 United Kingdom 
P	 Germany 
P	 Belgium 
P	 Canada 
P	 Japan 
P	 Luxembourg 
P	 France 
P	 China 
P	 Others  

35.68% 
30.37% 
4.94%
4.69%
4.16%
2.31%
2.29%
2.23%
2.14%
1.86% 
9.33%

Share capital by investor type, long-term evolution (a)

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

Institutions 

79%

Private Shareholders  21%

1999

2003

2007

2011 2016

(a)  Percentage derived from total number of registered shares. 

Registered shares represent 58.73% of the total share capital. 
Statistics are rounded, as at 31.12.2016.

59

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
 
Board of Directors of Nestlé S.A.

Helmut O. Maucher 
Honorary Chairman

David P. Frick 
Secretary to the Board

KPMG SA Geneva branch (1)
Independent auditors

Board of Directors  
of Nestlé S.A. 
at 31 December 2016

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (1, 2, 4)
Chairman
Paul Bulcke (1, 2)
Chief Executive Officer
Andreas Koopmann (1, 2, 3, 4)
Vice Chairman
Chairman, Georg Fischer AG
Beat Hess (1, 2, 3)
Chairman, LafargeHolcim Ltd 
Former Group Legal Director,
Royal Dutch Shell plc.
Renato Fassbind (1, 2, 5)
Vice Chairman, Swiss Re AG
Steven G. Hoch (1, 4)
Partner, Brown Advisory, LLC
Naïna Lal Kidwai (1, 5)
Former Chairperson, HSBC
Group of Companies in India
Jean-Pierre Roth (1, 3)
Chairman, Geneva Cantonal Bank
Ann M. Veneman (1, 4)
Former Executive Director,
UNICEF, and Secretary, U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Henri de Castries (1, 5)
Former Chairman and CEO, AXA
Eva Cheng (1, 5)
Former Chairwoman and CEO, 
Amway China & Southeast Asia
Ruth K. Oniang’o (1)
Professor of Food Science
and Nutrition
Patrick Aebischer (1, 3)
President of the Swiss
Federal Institute of
Technology Lausanne (EPFL)

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe

Paul Bulcke

For further information on the Board of 
Directors, please refer to the Corporate 
Governance Report 2016.

Andreas Koopmann

(1)  Term expires on the date of the
Annual General Meeting 2017.

(2)  Chairman’s and Corporate 
  Governance Committee.
(3)  Compensation Committee.
(4)  Nomination and Sustainability 

Committee.

(5)  Audit Committee.

60

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
 
Beat Hess

Renato Fassbind

Steven G. Hoch

Naïna Lal Kidwai

Jean-Pierre Roth

Ann M. Veneman

Henri de Castries

Eva Cheng

Ruth K. Oniang’o

Patrick Aebischer

61

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Executive Board of Nestlé S.A.

Executive Board of Nestlé S.A. 
at 31 December 2016

  1  Paul Bulcke  

Chief Executive Officer

  2  Luis Cantarell

EVP, Europe, Middle East, 
North Africa
  3  Laurent Freixe

EVP, United States of  
America, Canada, Latin  
America, Caribbean

  4  Chris Johnson  

EVP, Nestlé Business  
Excellence
  5  Patrice Bula

EVP, Strategic Business Units,

  Marketing and Sales
  6  Wan Ling Martello
EVP, Asia, Oceania,
sub-Saharan Africa

  7  Stefan Catsicas  

  8  Marco Settembri  
EVP, Nestlé Waters
  9  François-Xavier Roger

EVP, Chief Financial Officer

10  Magdi Batato

EVP, Operations

11  Peter Vogt

Deputy EVP, 
Human Resources

12  Martial Rolland
Deputy EVP,
Nestlé Professional

13  Heiko Schipper
Deputy EVP, 
Nestlé Nutrition

14  David P. Frick

SVP, Corporate Governance,  
Compliance and Corporate  
Services

EVP, Innovation Technology,  
Research and Development

Yves Philippe Bloch  
Corporate Secretary

Ulf Mark Schneider CEO as of 1 January 2017.

EVP: Executive Vice President
SVP: Senior Vice President

For further information on the  
Executive Board, please refer to the 
Corporate Governance Report 2016.

62

Nestlé Annual Review 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12

11

10

7

9

14

3

13

8

2

6

1

4

5

63

Nestlé Annual Review 2016and provides guidance and best practices. Market 
Compliance Officers and Committees ensure a 
consistent approach across the Group and help 
identify local compliance priorities.

In 2016, we assessed the consistency of our 
Compliance program in all Markets through our 
local Compliance Committees on the basis of 
Market compliance maturity profiles. Specific 
focus areas included further enhancing our 
compliance culture and grievance mechanisms 
and our anti-corruption policy framework. 
An annual compliance risk assessment was 
performed in the Group Compliance Committee.
Our efforts were recognized by the renewed 
joint best industry score for Compliance in the 
2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Compliance

We are driven by purpose and guided by values. 
Integrity, personal responsibility and fairness are 
important aspects of the respect that we have 
for ourselves. Mutual trust, quality and living 
up to our own commitments form the base for 
our respect for others. Compliance at Nestlé 
includes not only following applicable laws but 
also our own principles and values. It helps us 
build trust with our employees, as well as with our 
shareholders and our other stakeholders.

Strong governance and compliance underpin 

our company’s culture, which reflects our 
values and drives the right behaviors. Our 
Board oversees and promotes good practices 
throughout the company. Risk and control 
functions are appropriately empowered to assess 
and reinforce our culture and values effectively. 

Our Corporate Business Principles and our Code 

of Business Conduct include our commitments 
to integrity. This Code includes our three golden 
rules: to avoid any conduct that could damage 
Nestlé or its reputation; to act legally and honestly; 
and to put the company’s interests ahead of 
personal interests. We thereby aim to provide 
guidance to our people to do the ‘right’ thing even 
in situations which are not specifically regulated.
Through our CARE program, which relies 
on independent external auditors, we regularly 
assess specific aspects of our compliance. We 
provide the necessary training in our internal 
Management School, at in-person trainings in the 
Markets, as well as through our e-learning tools. 
We monitor compliance though our corporate 
functions, our internal audit function and our 
external auditors.

Our Integrity Reporting System and our ‘Tell 
Us’ system allow us to address complaints from 
employees and external stakeholders. In 2016, 
235 CARE audits were conducted and gaps 
addressed. 1650 complaints from employees  
and 642 complaints from suppliers and other 
third parties were investigated and remedial 
action taken.

Line management is supported by our 
dedicated Corporate Compliance function, 
which provides guidance and best practices, 
and all functions engaged in our holistic, risk 
and principles based compliance program. Our 
Compliance Committee defines the framework 

64

Nestlé Annual Review 2016Shareholder information

Stock exchange listing
At 31 December 2016, Nestlé S.A. shares  
are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, Zurich 
(ISIN code: CH0038863350).
American Depositary Receipts (ISIN code: 
US6410694060) representing Nestlé S.A. 
shares are offered in the USA by Citibank, 
N.A., New York.

6 April 2017
150th Annual General Meeting, 
Beaulieu Lausanne, 
Lausanne (Switzerland) 

7 April 2017
Last trading day with entitlement to dividend

10 April 2017
Ex-dividend date

12 April 2017
Payment of the dividend

20 April 2017
2017 First quarter sales figures

27 July 2017
2017 Half-yearly Results

19 October 2017
2017 Nine months sales figures

15 February 2018
2017 Full Year Results

12 April 2018
151st Annual General Meeting, 
Beaulieu Lausanne,
Lausanne (Switzerland)

Registered Offices
Nestlé S.A.
Avenue Nestlé 55
CH-1800 Vevey (Switzerland)
tel. +41 (0)21 924 21 11

Nestlé S.A. (Share Transfer Office)
Zugerstrasse 8
CH-6330 Cham (Switzerland)
tel. +41 (0)41 785 20 20

For additional information, contact:  
Nestlé S.A.  
Investor Relations
Avenue Nestlé 55
CH-1800 Vevey (Switzerland)
tel. +41 (0)21 924 35 09
fax +41 (0)21 924 48 00
e-mail: ir@nestle.com

As to information concerning the share 
register (registrations, transfers,  
dividends, etc.), please contact:
Nestlé S.A. (Share Transfer Office)
Zugerstrasse 8
CH-6330 Cham (Switzerland)
tel. +41 (0)41 785 20 20
fax +41 (0)41 785 20 24
e-mail: shareregister@nestle.com

The Annual Review is available online  
as a PDF in English, French and German.  
The consolidated income statement, balance 
sheet and cash flow statement are also 
available as Excel files.

www.nestle.com

© 2017, Nestlé S.A., Cham and Vevey 
(Switzerland)

The Annual Report contains forward 
looking statements which reflect 
Management’s current views and 
estimates. The forward looking 
statements involve certain risks and 
uncertainties that could cause actual 
results to differ materially from those 
contained in the forward looking 
statements. Potential risks and 
uncertainties include such factors as 
general economic conditions, foreign 
exchange fluctuations, competitive 
product and pricing pressures, and 
regulatory developments.

This Annual Report is published in 
German, English and French. The 
English version is binding for the 
content of the Annual Report of  
Nestlé S.A.

The brands in italics are registered 
trademarks of the Nestlé Group.

Visual concept and design
Nestec Ltd., Corporate Identity  
& Design, with Gavillet & Cie

Photography
Maurice Schobinger (wrapper)
Interlinks Image with  
Aude Sirvain (consumers)  
and Studio des fleurs (products)
Alberto Venzago (Board of Directors 
and Executive Board), Nestlé S.A.

Production
brain’print GmbH (Switzerland)

Paper
This report is printed on Lessebo 
Smooth White, a paper produced 
from well-managed forests and other 
controlled sources certified by the 
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Nestlé Annual Review 2016

65