PARIS (Reuters) - Revenue at Maybelline maker L'Oreal (PA:OREP) fell sharply in the second quarter even as online sales surged during lockdowns to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, though the French beauty group managed to contain any major erosion of profit margins.
The group said on Thursday revenues came in at 5.85 billion euros ($6.90 billion) in April-June, down 18.8% on a like-for-like basis, which strips out currency effects and acquisitions.
Some analysts had expected a less severe drop.
Operating margins stood at 18% at the end of the first half of the year, only slightly down from 18.6% at the end of 2019.