//
Underlying sales at the company rose 4.1 per cent over the three month period as a jump in market spending and innovation helped boost the firm's performance, something that may interest those trading Unilever shares on the stock market.
Paul Polman, chief executive officer of the business, stated that he was "encouraged" by the increase in sales, but warned that trading conditions are still "difficult".
"More of our brands are improving share again behind strong innovations, greater consumer value, increased marketing support and better execution," he remarked.
For the first six months of the year sales were up 4.4 per cent, however operating profit dropped 20 per cent to £2.55 billion.
Turnover remained unchanged at £19.66 billion, while earnings per share dropped 33 per cent to 53p.
Shares in the company rose following the announcement, jumping 5.76 per cent to 1,634p in London at 10:39 BST.
