Nestlé has reported positive results and a 4.8 per cent increase in its confectionery sales.

The UK and Ireland business performed well, and is on track to create 400 new jobs as part of a £500 million investment programme.

The jobs will mainly be based in Nestlé’s Derbyshire factory, although 100 will be created through the expansion of its apprenticeship and graduate programmes.

Some of these roles, which will include engineering and technical apprenticeships and graduate positions across all aspects of the business, will be in York.

Sales of KitKat, which is made in York, continued to boost the confectionery business as sales increased.

The two-finger Fairtrade KitKat, which was launched in January, is already the UK’s second-biggest Fairtrade product in terms of individual products sold, second only to bananas.

The York factory will produce one billion Fairtrade KitKat products, including the four-finger KitKat, per year.

KitKat Chunky grew sales by 16 per cent following the Choose a Chunky Champion campaign in which Chunky Peanut Butter returned to shelves in June 2012. The campaign has been relaunched to find a new flavour and the result will be announced in March.

Sales of other confectionery products also increased, with Milky Bar growing 10.5 per cent; Rolo growing 29.3 per cent and Yorkie up 27.7 per cent, fuelled by its return to TV for the first time in ten years.

Fiona Kendrick, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé UK & Ireland Chairman, said: “2012 was a strong year for Nestlé UK & Ireland. Our consumers are adapting to the tough economic climate by changing the way they shop.

"We have grown our business by responding to this new reality, particularly in fast growing channels such as online shopping, convenience stores and discounters, as well as the more traditional outlets.”

The global business increased sales 10.2 per cent to £64.4 billion.