Britvic

Infobox Company
company_name = Britvic
company_
company_type = Public (lse|BVIC)
foundation = Mid nineteenth century
location = Chelmsford, England, UK
key_people = Gerald Corbett, Chairman
Paul Moody, Chief Executive
industry = Soft drinks
products = Britvic, Robinsons, Tango, J₂O
UK and Ireland franchises of Pepsi and 7 Up
revenue = £716.3 million (2007)
operating_income = £74.3 million (2007)
net_income = £42.5 million (2007)
num_employees = circa 3,000
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.britvic.co.uk www.britvic.co.uk]
footnotes =

Britvic plc (lse|BVIC) is a British producer of soft drinks. They are the number two soft drinks producer (by volume and retail sales value) in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

The Company was founded in the mid-nineteenth century in Chelmsford, Essex as the "British Vitamin Products Company". [http://www.britvic.co.uk/History.aspx Britvic History] ] It started producing fruit juices in 1938 and started marketing them under the "Britvic" name in 1949. The Company changed its name to "Britvic" in 1971. In 1986 it merged with "Canada Dry Rawlings" so acquiring the R. White's Lemonade brand. It acquired Tango from Beechams in 1987 and since that year it has also owned the UK and Ireland franchises of Pepsi and 7 Up. In 1995 it bought Robinson's from Reckitt & Coleman and in 1998 went on to launch J₂O.

In December 2006 the Company underwent an initial public offering (IPO) allowing its main shareholders (InterContinental Hotels Group, Whitbread and Pernod Ricard) to realise their investments. [ [http://www.drinks-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=2AE313EC-0AC7-4395-84B9-87A1FCD73EFE Britvic announces details of IPO] ]

In May 2007 the Company went on to buy the soft drinks and distribution businesses of Ireland's Cantrell & Cochrane (C&C) for £169.5m. [ [http://www.cnbc.com/id/18650788 Britvic Agrees to Buy C&C's Soft-Drinks Division] ]

Operations

Although most of its operations are concentrated in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, the Company's international arm is expanding and it now exports to over 50 countries.

United Kingdom

The Company owns a number of leading brands in the UK including Britvic itself, R. White's Lemonade, Tango, Pepsi, 7 Up, Robinson's and J₂O. In 2008 Britvic launched Gatorade in the UK after securing the rights to do so from PepsiCo.

Ireland

The Company owns a number of leading brands in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including Club, Ballygowan water, Britvic, Cidona, MiWadi, and Energise Sport as well as the rights to Pepsi and 7 Up brands in the territory through its bottling agreements with PepsiCo.

Former brands

* Top Deck shandy drinks

References

External links

* [http://www.britvic.co.uk Official site]