A toothpaste manufacturer is all smiles after reporting a 76% increase in operating profit to more than £8 million.

Church & Dwight UK, which makes the Arm & Hammer brand, revealed turnover grew 13.6% to just below £83 million from £73 million a year earlier.

The Folkestone-based company, which employs about 300 people, said increasing sales in the UK, mainland Europe, and the rest of the world had driven its good performance.

This has been supported by a targeted marketing and communications campaign.

Pre-tax profit stood at just over £8 million last year, up from £4.5 million, according to its latest accounts.

The firm also makes brands like Batiste dry shampoo, Pearl Drops tooth polish, Nair hair removal, Orajel toothache gel and Stérimar nasal spray.

“Investment in our manufacturing plant with the addition of innovative new factory equipment has meant we’ve been able to increase output and keep up with increasing demand in the UK and internationally..." - Britta Bomhard, Church & Dwight

To fulfil growing demand, the business has invested in new production facilities for the manufacturing plant in its European headquarters at Folkstone.

The firm has a production site on Wear Bay Road, a commercial office and two warehouses in the town.

However directors said competitive trading conditions in the UK and Europe are putting pressure on certain brands “which could lead to a loss of revenue”.

The report added: “The company manages this risk by marketing a broad product range across many countries and maintaining strong relationships with customers.”

Managing director Britta Bomhard said: “The past year has been extremely successful for Church & Dwight UK and we’ve seen a real positive advancement across much of the brand portfolio.

“Investment in our manufacturing plant with the addition of innovative new factory equipment has meant we’ve been able to increase output and keep up with increasing demand in the UK and internationally.

“We are very proud of our 2014 performance and are confident that we can carry this into next year.

“As a company we want to share our success with the local community and we have a number of exciting projects under development to make this happen.”