THE HAGUE: Anglo-Dutch consumer giant Unilever said Thursday its sales declined in the third quarter, even though consumers targeted large volumes of home-based products as the coronavirus lockdown continued in many countries.

Headquartered in both London and Rotterdam, the group said third-quarter sales amounted to 12.9 billion euros ($15.2 billion), a decline of 2.4 percent from the same period last year, with currency fluctuations also negatively impacting results.

"Covid-19 continues to influence consumer behaviours and channel dynamics in our markets," Unilever said in a statement. Many countries are imposing stricter anti-coronavirus rules as new cases surge, particularly in Europe, where Ireland has become the first country to enter a second national lockdown and Germany's daily cases leapt to a record high on Thursday.

Unilever said that in its North American market alone, sales were up 9.1 percent at 2.5 billion euros, driven by booming demand for food at home. Overall demand for hand cleaners also remained high, but dipped from the second quarter, while household cleaning products continued to sell well to combat the spread of Covid-19.