BRITISH producer Unilever has seen profits rocket by a fifth – after hiking prices by 15.5 per cent.
The Dove soap maker saw a £4.5billion jump in the first half of the year but denied shoppers had been stiffed.
It came as sales, boosted by the price rises, grew by 9.1 per cent worldwide.
Unilever is behind some of the UK’s biggest consumer brands including Marmite, Hellmann’s, Magnum ice creams, Lynx and Domestos.
Managers said it expected the price of its goods to “moderate” for the rest of the year as inflation had peaked, but warned food costs are still volatile.