Company: CL
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000021665-25-000008
Chunk: 75

Company: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 75
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 new commercial insights and develop relevant marketing and advertising to reach customers and consumers. Our ability to compete also depends on the strength of our brands and products and on our ability to enforce and defend our intellectual property, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and trade dress rights, against infringement and legal challenges by competitors.

We may be unable to anticipate the timing and scale of such initiatives or challenges by competitors or to successfully respond to them, which could harm our business and/or reputation. In addition, the cost of responding to such initiatives 

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and challenges, including management time, out-of-pocket expenses and price reductions, may affect our performance. A failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Increasing dependence on key retailers in developed markets, changes in the policies of our retail trade customers, the emergence of alternative retail channels and the rapidly changing retail landscape and changing consumer preferences may adversely affect our business.

Our products are sold in a highly competitive global marketplace which has experienced increased trade concentration and the growing presence of large-format retailers, discounters and eCommerce retailers. With the growing trend toward retail trade consolidation, the substantial growth of eCommerce and the integration of traditional and digital operations at key retailers, we are increasingly dependent on certain retailers, and some of these retailers have and may continue to have greater bargaining strength than we do. They have used and may continue to use this leverage to demand higher trade discounts, allowances, slotting fees, increased investment, including through display media, paid search and co-op programs, or changes to product assortments, which have led to and could continue to lead to reduced sales or profitability in certain markets. The loss of a key customer or distributor or a significant reduction in sales to a key customer or distributor could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. For additional information regarding our customers, see “Distribution; Raw Materials; Competition; Trademarks and Patents” in Item 1 “Business.”

We also have been and may continue to be negatively affected by changes in the policies or practices of our retail trade customers, such as inventory destocking, fulfillment requirements, technology-aided category pricing pressures, limitations on access to shelf space, delisting of our products, or sustainability, supply chain or packaging standards or initiatives. For example, a determination by a key retailer that any of our ingredients should not be used in certain consumer products or that our packaging does not comply with certain requirements and standards could adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows