Updated

Consumer products giant Unilever, whose brands include Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Lipton and Dove, says sales in 2015 rose 10 percent compared to the previous year, to 53.3 billion euros ($58 billion).

Net profit was to 5.3 billion euros, down 5 percent from 2014 when profit was boosted by one-off items including the sale of Unilever's North American pasta sauce brands Ragu and Bertolli.

Chief Executive Officer Paul Polman says Tuesday's results show that Unilever has "again grown ahead of our markets," despite a tough year of "slower global economic growth, intensifying geopolitical instability, and high currency and commodity volatility."

Polman says Unilever expects "tougher market conditions and high volatility in 2016."