Global consumer goods maker Unilever said Tuesday that its 2012 sales exceeded 50 billion euros ($66.5 billion) for the first time, helped by strong growth in emerging markets. Unilever's pretax profit rose 7 percent from a year earlier to 6.7 billion euros ($8.9 billion), the company said.

Last year, Unilever again posted double-digit growth in emerging markets, with sales up 10.6 per cent in Asia and Africa, 7.9 per cent in the US and just 0.8 per cent in Europe. 'Market conditions remain challenging due to intense competition and fluctuating commodity prices,' Unilever said in its statement.

Unilever is a world-renowned consumer products manufacturer, whose brands include Secret, Ashlyn, Lux, Lipton, and Helix, etc. Its biggest competitor in the global scope is Procter & Gamble.