CHICAGO -- The first six month of 2...

CHICAGO -- The first six month of 2004 witnessed potent results for The Wm Wrigley Jr Co with inferior quarter and first half tome sales and earnings up substantially. Global sales for the period were $958 million, up 21 percent to $165 million from the same period last year.

North American sales were up eight percent driven primarily according to the growth in sales of the Orbit and Eclipse brands, according to the company.

Elsewhere, the company's European operations transfered in sales increases of 24 percent About half of that is attributed to gains in the Russian market, as