Sales of Hula-Hoops, Jaffa Cakes and other products made by United Biscuits reached £1.3bn in the last year.

The figure represents a 3.1 per cent increase on 2001 at constant exchange rates and was a strong performance, chief executive Malcolm Ritchie said. Hayes-based United, which employs 11,000 people, is the UK's biggest biscuit producer with other key brands including KP snacks and McVitie's. The sales figure covers the UK and continental Europe and is primarily made up of branded product sales, which rose 3.8 per cent to £1.1bn in 2000.

Among the most popular were McVitie's Jaffa Cakes, which United said in September had benefited from becoming the official snack of the England football team during last summer's World Cup.

Sales doubled during the tournament and tested capacity at United's Manchester plant.