Britvic swallows fall in volumes

The Chelmsford-based group, whose UK brands include Robinsons, Tango and Fruit Shoot, said the amount of still drink it sold was down 3.5 per cent in the final quarter of 2010 as pressures in the challenged pub sector were exacerbated by the weather conditions.

The group, which owns the rights to sell Pepsi products in the UK, also reported a 0.2 per cent decline in volumes of carbonated drinks, as a result of more promotions by competitors and despite the UK launch of American energy drink Mountain Dew.

Britvic said that although the amount of drinks it sold declined, UK revenues increased 0.8 per cent as a result of rising prices. This compares to a 15.4 per cent rise in sales a year ago.

Overall, the group reported a sales increase of 20 per cent helped by the acquisition of French business Fruite Entreprises, now known as Britvic France, for 237 million euros (198m) in May.

Britvic reported strong results in the year to October 3, with UK volume sales of still and carbonates up 3.5 per cent and 10.2 per cent respectively.

Britvic said its UK take-home volume sales increased by 3.4 per cent in the quarter, although its market share remained flat.

Britvic was upbeat about its future prospects, saying it anticipates an improvement in its performance and remains confident about the outcome for the full year.