ASSOCIATED British Foods has served up a healthy set of first-half profits after seeing strong growth from its key grocery and retailing brands.
The Silver Spoon-to-Ryvita group said a focus on the operational strengths of the business had paid off, with most sectors of the group performing well.
Launches had helped boost sales at AB Foods' Allied Bakeries arm, which owns Kingsmill bread, while strong export sales fuelled profits growth at Ryvita.
An efficiency drive bolstered the group's British Sugar operation while its clothing chain, Primark, which now has 111 stores, posted a sales surge of 30 per cent.
The performance meant AB Foods recorded pre-tax profits of £192m in the six months to March 2 before one-off costs, up six per cent on a year ago.
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