Rise in demand for soft drinks sees Britvic profits rise to €151m

The company said volumes declines in the early months following the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme

Kevin Donnelly, MD Britvic Ireland pictured at the Ballygowan bottling facility in Newcastle West, Limerick - David Clynch

Drinks company Britvic saw after-tax profit rise to £125.8m (€151m) in the 12 months ending in September 2024, reflecting a 1.8% increase year-on-year.

Britvic, whose Irish arm owns brands including Ballygowan, MiWadi, Club, Cidona and TK, saw revenue rise by 9.5% to £1.9bn (€2.28bn), driven by both price mix and volume, it said on Wednesday.

The broader Britvic group owns brands including Robinsons, Fruit Shoot and London Essence Company as well as PepsiCo brands like Pepsi and 7UP which it produces and markets under licence.

The group also said new growth capacity was added across its markets, with new lines in Ireland, Great Britain and Brazil.

Performance in Ireland remained strong, with revenue up 7.8%, Britvic said, driven by price realisation and mix, offsetting a modest volume decline of 1.8% in the year.

The company said that Pepsi and Ballygowan were the main drivers, with both the core water offering and Hint of Fruit delivering strong growth. 

The group said its volume declined in the early months following the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme, however, the last three months of the financial year saw a return to volume growth, up 5.9% on the previous year.

“We were pleased to deliver another year of impressive revenue growth in Ireland, up 7.8% on last year," said Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director of Britvic Ireland. "Encouragingly, we saw a return to volume growth in Q4, with volumes up 5.9% on last year, and market share gains."

Mr Donnelly said the group continues to invest in Irish manufacturing facilities, adding that it introduced tethered caps in July, expanded capacity for its Ballygowan Hint of Fruit brand and introduced sleek cans across its carbonated drinks portfolio.