Unilever profit edges higher in first half

British consumer goods giant Unilever said Thursday that net profit edged up four percent in the first six months of the year, driven by higher sales.

Profit after tax rose to €3.7 billion ($3.1bn) compared with the first half of 2023, the maker of multiple products including Cif surface cleaner, Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream said in an earnings statement.

Both volume of sales and prices increased in the first half, Unilever noted.

"There is much to do, but we remain focused on transforming Unilever into a consistently higher performing business," said group chief executive Hein Schumacher.

The company earlier this year announced plans to create a standalone ice cream business as part of a major overhaul expected to cost about 7,500 mainly office-based jobs worldwide.

The group, which employed about 128,000 people globally at the time of the March announcement, is seeking to save €800 million over the next three years.