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Tesco chief Terry Leahy said the firm had made "good progress" after reporting an 11.3% rise in pre-tax profit for the 26 weeks to 23 August.
Group sales increased 14.1%, buoyed by robust international sales which were up by 26.8%.
Excluding petrol, like-for-like sales - which strip out the impact of new stores - were up 3.7% in UK stores.
Like-for-like sales grew 4% in the second quarter, an increase from growth of 3.5% in the first quarter.
Terry Leahy, Chief Executive, said Tesco was "at its best in tough markets" and could respond to the changing needs of customers.
"That's why we have been able to make good progress this year, despite facing into powerful economic headwinds and carrying planned start-up losses in the US," he said.
"Our business is strong, broadly-based, increasingly international and, I believe, well-placed not just to cope with the challenges which lie ahead but also to grasp the growth opportunities open to us by continuing to invest in our strategy."
Increasing competition
Tesco has dominated the supermarket sector in the UK for some time.
However, the credit crunch and tighter household budgets have meant cheaper alternatives such as Lidl, Aldi and Asda have been eating away at Tesco's UK market share of more than 30%.
Tesco has responded by releasing a new range of low-cost products in order to maintain its position in the market.
Internationally, Tesco said its Fresh & Easy stores in the US - which are in their first year of trading - had seen good sales densities, with the "average running at $11 per square foot per week which is already substantially higher than the US supermarket industry average".
Tesco serves more than 20 million customers every week.
(BBC)
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