Kit Kat raises the bar for Nestle

The Swiss business boosted revenues 4.1 per cent in tough markets last year and grew "substantially faster than our industry", according to chief executive Paul Bulcke.

Nestle – linked at one stage with a possible bid for Dairy Milk maker Cadbury – expects its food and drinks business to improve on the performance this year.

The group posted revenues of 108 billion Swiss francs (64.5bn) with sales of its famous Kit Kat bar up 7.1 per cent worldwide.

In the UK, Kit Kat sales were 5.3 per cent ahead and sales for the overall Rowntree's brand were up 10 per cent – helped by new products such as Randoms fruit jelly sweets.

Nescafe is also improving its market share after the company launched its biggest investment in the brand for more than 20 years with its 'coffee at its brightest' campaign last September.

But Nestle added that the outlook for the market "remains tough" this year in a still-difficult economic climate.

Across European markets, which Nestle called "one of the world's most challenging business environments", organic growth edged just 0.3 per cent higher although the UK, France and Switzerland were among the best performers.

Nestle, however, enjoyed a "remarkable" 6.5 per cent organic growth in North America.