The 22. 4 percent hike in the first six months compared to the same period last year showed “a substantial step-up in profitability despite the persisting volatile global trading environment, ” chief executive Paul Polman said.
“The transformation of Unilever into a more resilient, more competitive and more profitable business is accelerating, ” he added in a statement .
Sales for the first half of the year rose 5 . 5 percent to 27 . 7 billion euros, with turnover growing particularly in Asia amid rising prices and in parts of the Americas .
Currency fluctuations also helped profits, even though sales “ remained weak ” in Europe.
The Rotterdam -based Unilever , which employs some 169, 000 people around the world , owns more than 400 household brands including Dove, Knorr soups, Lipton , Magnum and Marmite .
Since rejecting the Kraft Heinz bid in February, Unilever has sought to prove to shareholders that it is better off on its own and vowed better profitability .
In April , it unveiled a 3 . 5 -billion euro restructuring plan and announced the spin -off of its margarine division , hoping to soothe investors concerns after rejecting the proposed tie-up with Kraft which would have valued the group at $ 143 billion.
“The preparation for the exit from spreads via a sale or de -merger is well underway, ” the company said in a statement , adding the board was expected to decide on the way forward before the end of the year after the results of a review.
Excluding spreads, underlying sales growth was up 3 . 4 percent, and the company said it was offering 1 . 09 euros per share , up 24 . 1 percent.
Polman predicted “ accelerated growth ” in the second half of the year for Unilever and said underlying sales growth for 2017 would be in the 3 . 0 -to-5 . 0 percent range.
Unilever is listed in both London and on the Amsterdam AEX, a historic status which the company is also reviewing.
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