Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever increased its third quarter by 2% to €10.1bn. The company said increased investment in advertising and promotions had helped keep sales on the level.

The underlying growth – excluding takeovers and currency effects – was 4.8%. Net profit was down 45% at €800m. ‘We continue to make progress with another quarter of broad-based growth,’ said chairman Patrick Cescau in a statement.