Development by regions Audited

Compared to 2011, Merck Millipore’s geographic sales split remained nearly unchanged, although regional growth trends differed significantly in some cases. Europe remained the division’s largest regional market generating sales of € 966 million (2011: € 906 million) or 37% of divisional sales (2011: 38%), growing 3.1% organically. Organic sales growth was primarily driven by healthy demand from biopharmaceutical production customers for Process Solutions products. In North America, Merck Millipore’s organic sales were flat at € 703 million (2011: € 648 million), representing an unchanged 27% of the division’s sales. However, this development includes the impact of lost sales from an insulin supply contract that was discontinued in the third quarter of 2011 and that primarily affected sales in the United States. Excluding the insulin contract, the division’s organic growth in North America was in the low single digits, reflecting the significant presence of drug manufacturing customers in the United States that also posted increasing drug volumes.

In the Emerging Markets region, sales grew 6.8% organically to € 617 million (2011: € 561 million), equivalent to an unchanged 24% of sales. All of the division’s business units posted solid growth in this region, delivering mid-single to low double-digit organic growth rates. Posting an 8.5% organic increase in sales to € 312 million (2011: € 268 million), the Rest of World region accounted for 12% of the division’s sales (2011: 11%) and showed growth trends similar to those seen in Emerging Markets.

Merck Millipore | Sales by region – 2012