Wispa boosts Cadbury performance

The relaunch of the Wispa bar today helped chocolate firm Cadbury deliver an 11% hike in quarterly revenues from its UK and Irish business.

The Wispa and a new range of Dairy Milk bars were credited for an “excellent” three months to September 30, with total group revenues up 6%.

Cadbury also announced the loss of 250 jobs, including senior management, under changes to its worldwide operation in a bid to “de-layer” the firm and cut costs.

Panmure Gordon stockbrokers said the group was on track to achieve sales growth marginally ahead of its forecast of 5.2% for the second half, although much will depend on the Christmas trading period.

Analyst Graham Jones added: “The indulgent appeal of its products and low price points give us confidence that both sales and margins can progress, despite more challenging economic conditions in many developed markets.”