Nestle serves up profits rise

Foods group Nestle said today it had achieved a strong first half of the year after overcoming rising cost pressures and tough trading conditions.

The group – best known for Nescafe coffee and Kit-Kat chocolate bars – met its own expectations with net profits of 3.68bn Swiss francs (€2.4bn), an increase of 32.4% on the figure for the January to June period last year.