On February 19, Danone, a multinational food and beverage company, released its 2018 results, which showed that Danone's annual sales in 2018 were 24.7 billion euros. Danone's performance based on the acquisition of WhiteWave grew by 2.9% year-on-year, and all its businesses contributed to last year's growth. In addition, Danone's e-commerce sales revenue increased by 40%.
Specifically, in 2018, Danone's net sales of nutrients increased by 5.9% year-on-year. Thanks to the excellent performance of allergy products, the medical nutrition business in China has achieved double-digit growth. Danone's early nutrients account for about 30% of global sales in China. In the fourth quarter of 2018, sales of the business sector in China's official channels grew rapidly.
In addition, Danone's international brands of professional nutrients, drinking water and beverages, as well as WhiteWave plant-based products, have achieved strong growth. Net sales of drinking water and beverages increased by 5.3% over the same period last year. Global sales of the business grew by 5.6% in the fourth quarter of 2018. In the fourth quarter, the market share of drinking water and beverage business in China remained stable despite the weakness of the summer market.
