Robinsons and J20 owner sees sales jump amid price hikes and sugar-free boost
Britvic said total revenues in Britain jumped by a 10th in the six months to March, compared with the previous year.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The maker of Robinsons and Pepsi Max has hailed a jump in sales following price rises and growing demand for sugar-free soft drinks.
Britvic, which also owns household brands including J20, Fruit Shoot and Tango, said total revenues in Britain jumped by a 10th over the six months to the end of March compared with the previous year.
This includes supermarket, restaurant and pub sales.
Sales for Tango alone rocketed by 37% over the period, with low-sugar variants like “berry peachy” and “paradise punch” seeing strong demand.
Low sugar flavours are really resonating well, particularly with young people
“Everybody wants more Tango at the moment”, chief executive Simon Litherland told the PA news agency.
“Low-sugar flavours are really resonating well, particularly with young people. It’s going to be a big driver of growth for us in the second half of the year.”
The higher revenues in the latest period were largely because Britvic raised the prices of its products in the first quarter of its financial year, in a bid to offset double-digit cost inflation.
The volume of sales declined by 0.8% over the first quarter, meaning people were paying more but buying fewer items.
But volumes edged up in the second quarter, rising 1.2% year-on-year, the retailer said.
Mr Litherland said the group raised prices “failing all” other measures to mitigate against inflation, including things like using less and more lightweight packaging for its drinks.
“It is clearly tougher for people managing their budgets”, Mr Litherland said, but added its products fall into the category of a “reasonably priced consumer staple” and are often an “affordable treat as well”.
He went on: “In times of recession, you might expect that people would go out less.
“In fact, pubs and restaurants have been very resilient.”
The firm reported climbing profits, with adjusted earnings growing by 17% to £85 million compared with the previous year.
Britvic is preparing for a number of campaigns over the busy summer period, including a relaunch of the Robinsons brand and a new marketing push for Tango, as well as Pepsi Max.