• Total group sales up 12.3% on FX gains
  • Refreshments underlying sales rise 2.5%, volumes dip
  • Food underlying sales increase 2.9%, lifted by volume

Unilever has booked first-quarter underlying sales growth at its food and refreshment businesses, although pricing in food and volumes of refreshment lines – which include ice cream – came under some pressure in the period.

Underlying food sales were up 2.9% to EUR3.2bn (US$3.4bn) on the back of a 3% increase in volumes. Pricing was down 0.1% at the unit. Growth was lifted by the performance of Unilever's savoury brands, with soups in Europe and Hellmann's in the US expanding revenues and Knorr benefiting from an advertising push.

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Refreshment like-for-like revenues increased 2.5% to EUR2.3bn. Gains were driven by pricing at the ice cream maker, with underlying volumes falling 0.2%. Underlying profits at the business increased 2.6%, Unilever revealed.

On a group-wide basis underlying sales rose 2.8% and total sales increased 12.3% to EUR12.8bn, lifted by the performance of its emerging market business and currency exchange.

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