Reckitt sales boost to shares

Shares in Reckitt Benckiser rose after the consumer goods group posted higher-than-expected sales growth, helped by improvements in both its health and home and hygiene businesses.

Reckitt, once seen as a pacemaker for growth in the packaged goods industry, has experienced setbacks in the last three years, including a safety scandal in South Korea, a failed product launch, a cyber attack and the temporary shutdown of a baby milk factory in the Netherlands.