AG Barr, the soft drinks company, has reported an 8% rise in revenue in the 18 weeks to 1 December on volumes up 6.4%, and said it has outperformed the market in the year to date.
Year to date revenue at 1 December increased 6.7%, with volume up 5.1%. AG Barr said that over a comparable period the market, as measured by Nielsen, increased in value by 4.1% and volume by 3.1%.
“Our brands continue to perform well and in the period, our margins have been in line with our expectations,” the firm said. “Our balance sheet remains strong and there have been no significant changes in the financial position of the company since the publication of the interim accounts for the six months ended 28 July 2013.”
The Irn Bru manufacturer said the soft drinks market “remains highly competitive as we enter the important Christmas trading period”.
“We are now executing our strong seasonal trading plans and remain confident of delivering our full year performance expectations despite tough year on year trading comparatives.”
The company said the second phase of its investment at its Milton Keynes site is now underway. “We are progressing well through the plant commissioning phase and have completed the logistics transfer programme on time.”
