Strong performance for Britvic

Announcing its annual results for the year ended 28 September, the soft drinks manufacturer reported a 30% hike in revenue to £926.5 million (£716.3m) while pre-tax profit was up 14% to £70 million (£61m). In the UK, Britvic said it continued to outperform the soft drinks market in all key categories with volume and value share gains by core brands, in particular Pepsi, Robinsons and Fruit Shoot. Chief executive Paul Moody said: “What has set us apart this year is our winning combination of strong brands and the consistent execution of our point-of-purchase, innovation and marketing strategies. Once again, we have outperformed the soft drinks market across all key categories. It is encouraging to see the significant upgrade to the synergies in Ireland in the midst of unprecedented trading conditions. We have broadened our relationship with PepsiCo, with the addition of V Water and Gatorade to our portfolio, and Lipton Iced Tea drinks will be added soon. This partnership compliments our own brands and means we are well placed to continue driving growth across existing and prospective territories. Conditions in the soft drink market continue to be tough at the beginning of our new financial year, and given the adverse macro environment, market visibility beyond the short term remains limited. However, we are reassured with our performance since the year end, anchored on our resilient brand presence, tenacious cost management and our well-developed innovation and marketing strategies."