Cadbury beat sales forecasts and raised targets in a bumper third-quarter trading report, pushing up its shares and pressuring suitor Kraft to come up with a bigger bid to win its takeover battle.

The London-based confectionery group, which has interests in Ireland, said underlying sales rose 7 per cent in the July-September quarter, beating even the most bullish forecasts, and unexpectedly increased both the firm’s sales and margin growth targets for 2009. - (Reuters)