European stocks declined, led by food and beverage companies after Unilever, the world's largest maker of food and soap, cut its full-year earnings forecast. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index fell 0.2 percent to 240.58 as of 8:10 a.m. in London. The Stoxx 50 shed 0.2 percent and the Euro Stoxx 50, a benchmark for the 12 countries using the euro, slipped 0.3 percent. Unilever fell 5 percent to 47.44 euros after saying it expects low single-digit earnings-per-share growth for the full year because sales in July and August lagged its own forecast. Revenue from leading brands in the third quarter will be less than in the second, the company said.
Groupe Danone SA, the bottler of Evian water, slid 0.9 percent to 63.90 euros. Nestle SA, the world's biggest food company, shed 1.2 percent to 290 Swiss francs. Capital Radio Plc advanced 4.7 percent to 450 pence. Capital Radio and GWG Group Plc said yesterday they're holding talks concerning a possible all-share merger. The talks ``may or may not lead to a transaction,'' they said in a statement yesterday. A combination would create a bigger competitor for Chrysalis Group Plc and Emap Plc. Gestevision Telecinco SA, Spain's largest commercial television station, added 0.3 percent to 14.04 euros. The company joins Europe's Stoxx 600 Index today. Terra Networks SA, Spain's largest Internet service provider, lost 0.4 percent to 2.84 euros. The company is leaving the index. U.S. stocks rose on Friday, sending the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to its sixth successive weekly advance. The S&P 500 added 0.5 percent for the session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.3 percent. ///www.bloonberg.com