Britvic confident in post-pandemic trading with "robust first half"

A drinks manufacturer has said that it is “confident” in its long term strategy following the pandemic.

Britvic, which specialises in soft drinks such as Fruit Shoot and Robinsons, saw its comparative revenue rise by 1.4 per cent in the first half of the year.

This reflects a slightly shorter trading period, with reported revenue dipping by 9.1 per cent, going from £769.2m in the first half of 2019 to £698.8m in the first half of 2020.

Britvic has said that the start to the year has been “robust”, with more sales of “at-home” packs of drinks.

The company also saw its profit after tax increase 11.5 per cent for the period, rising to £38.9m.

Simon Litherland, CEO of Britvic, commented: “The world is a very different place from the one it was a few months ago and I am proud and humbled by the resilience and dedication shown by the entire Britvic team.

“Our priorities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic have been clear: protect our employees, deliver for our customers, support our communities and maintain our financial strength.

“We entered the Covid-19 crisis with strong momentum, having delivered a robust first half performance, which continues our track record of consistent delivery since 2013.

“As a business and as a team, we have repeatedly demonstrated our agility as well as our ability to successfully navigate tough headwinds.

“While these times are clearly unparalleled, soft drinks has proven itself to be a resilient category time and time again.

“As consumers increasingly turn to trusted brands, we are confident that our long-term strategy will continue to create value for all our stakeholders.”