Strong sales have helped Cadbury to an encouraging set of full-year results, but warned growth would be at the lower end of its 4-6% growth targets.

Sales of Cadbury Dairy Milk rose 11% in the last year, while Trident increased 11% and Halls went up 9%, the company reported today. Chocolate sales generally rose 6%, with gum up 10% and candy 7%.

The company reported full-year turnover up 15% to £5.4bn, with pre-tax profits rising 57% to £400m.

“Our strong revenue growth and significant improvement in operating margin demonstrate the relative resilience of our focused business model,” said Cadbury CEO Todd Stitzer.

“Whilst we will not be immune from the continued weak economic environment, at this early stage in 2009, we expect to deliver revenue growth around the lower end of our 4-6% goal range and to make good progress toward our goal of mid-teens margins by 2011.”

It was a particularly good year for Cadbury on the international front, with 12% growth in emerging markets. Sales in India were up 23%, South Africa rose 20% and South America increased 18%. However, growth in developed markets was a more modest 4% as the economy slowed during the year.

Cadbury’s strong performance also came as a result of its Vision into Action cost reduction programme, the company claimed, which included the downsizing of central functions and relocating group HQ away from central London in June. It also consolidated its distribution and warehousing structure in the UK and increased chocolate production automation in Ireland.

The chocolate specialist was also well-placed to weather the economic downturn having simplified its business to focus on seven underlying business units and removing its regional organisation layer, it said. This would allow faster decision-making and a stronger alignment of category strategies and commercial programmes across the company, it added.

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