A DOLLOP of mayo can work wonders for the simplest sandwich. On hot new potatoes it’s a treat, and delicious smeared on barely cooked broccoli.

Hellmann’s and Dove soap maker Unilever topped the FTSE 100 Index risers board today after impressing investors with third quarter trading figures.

Worrying economic data in the US and Europe overshadowed encouraging corporate results today and halted the recent recovery in world markets.

Unilever today said underlying sales rose 7.2% at the start of this year after the company acted to recover sharply higher costs.

Price hikes at the end of last year enabled consumer products giant Unilever to deliver a 7% rise in annual pre-tax profits today.

Mayonnaise is firmly ahead of salad cream as the nation’s top choice of dressing, figures today show.

Unilever is planning to cut 20,000 jobs globally over the next four years, it emerged today.

Consumer products giant Unilever today said it had made good progress after underlying sales grew 4.8% in the three months to the end of September.

KERRY Group has lost out in a €1.7 billion battle to buy Birds Eye frozen foods from Unilever.

Unilever looked set to end its 63-year association with Birds Eye today after agreeing to sell most of its European frozen foods business for £1.16bn (€1.7bn).

Private equity group Permira was today said to be poised to make a bid for the frozen foods arm of Unilever which includes Birds Eye.

Consumer products giant Unilever banked a 16% rise in profits today but warned of tough sales conditions in the UK and Europe.

Consumer products giant Unilever conceded today that price cuts and an advertising blitz had failed to return sales in Europe to growth.

CONSUMER products giant Unilever is rumoured to be reviewing its frozen foods arm with a view to selling some or all of its brands, it was reported yesterday.

Knorr-to-Domestos group Unilever said today its western European division needed to become competitive after second quarter profits fell 20%.

Consumer goods giant Unilever is to offload a string of famous perfume brands to American cosmetics firm Coty, it announced today.

Struggling consumer products group Unilever performed a U-turn today by announcing plans to scrap its dual-chairman structure.

Consumer goods giant Unilever today denied that investors were pushing for the abolition of its dual-chairman structure.

Consumer products giant Unilever dealt a fresh blow to investors today by revealing that sales of its top 400 brands shrank by 1% in the third quarter.

CONSUMER products giant Unilever yesterday distanced itself from reports that it was planning to shed thousands of management jobs.

Consumer products giant Unilever today distanced itself from reports that it was planning to shed thousands of management jobs.

CONSUMER products giant Unilever was in danger of seeing its flagship Path to Growth strategy fall flat today after sales of key brands stalled.

Consumer products giant Unilever provided more disappointment on trading today after sales of its leading brands failed to grow in the second quarter of 2004.

Consumer products giant Unilever delivered “disappointing” first quarter figures today after competition in many of its markets remained intense.

Consumer goods giant Unilever delivered a rise in profits today despite seeing disappointing growth for its leading brands.

Consumer goods giant Unilever today delivered a 10% hike in third quarter profits, despite lacklustre sales.

People staying in to watch coverage of the war in Iraq contributed to slower than expected first quarter sales for consumer goods giant Unilever, the group said today.

Updates from a clutch of blue-chip companies should grab the attention this week as analysts get their clearest guide yet to trading so far in 2003.

Dove soap to Magnum ice-cream maker Unilever today said it had strengthened its food operations in Asia by buying out a joint venture.

Persil-to-Magnum group Unilever today reported a 10% rise in profits over the past year as sales of its core brands grew.

Consumer products giant Unilever today cleared up some confusion over last year’s sales figures by saying trading came in at a stronger-than-forecast 5.4%.