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Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It produces soft drinks under its own name, as well as several other brands.
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| LSE: BVIC FTSE 250 Component | |
| Industry | Soft drinks |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Headquarters | Hemel Hempstead, England, UK |
Key people |
|
| Products | Fruit Shoot Licensee:Lipton |
| Brands | Club Orange |
| Revenue |  £1,748.6 million (2023)[1] |
 £181.5 million (2023)[1] | |
| £124.0 million (2023)[1] | |
Number of employees | 4,537 (2023)[1] |
| Subsidiaries | Robinsons |
| Website | britvic |
The company was founded in the 1930s in Chelmsford as the British Vitamin Products Company.[2][3] It started producing fruit juices in 1938 and started marketing them under the Britvic name in 1949.[4] Acquired by Showerings of Shepton Mallet, and subsequently a division of Allied Breweries from 1968, the company changed its name to Britvic in 1971. In 1986, it merged with Canada Dry Rawlings and acquired the R. White's Lemonade brand. It acquired Tango and the Corona brand from Beechams in 1987 and since that year it has also owned the UK franchise for Pepsi and 7 Up.[5] In 1995, it bought Robinson's from Reckitt & Colman.[6]
In December 2005, the company underwent an initial public offering (IPO), allowing its main shareholders (InterContinental Hotels Group, Whitbread, Pernod Ricard) to realise their investments.[7] In May 2007, the Company bought the soft drinks and distribution businesses of Ireland's Cantrell & Cochrane (C&C) for £169.5m.[8]
On 14 November 2012, the company announced plans to merge with Scottish soft drink producer A.G. Barr, the maker of brands including Irn-Bru, Tizer and D'n'B, which would have created one of Europe's largest soft drinks companies.[9] The merger was put into serious doubt[10][11] after the Office of Fair Trading referred it to the Competition Commission.[12] On 11 July 2013, A.G. Barr chairman, Ronnie Hanna, announced that the proposed merger had been abandoned.[13]
In May 2017, PepsiCo announced that it had decided to sell its long-held 4.5 per cent stake in Britvic.[14]
On 8 July 2024, it was announced that the Danish Carlsberg Group would buy Britvic. Upon completion, Britvic will rebrand under the Carlsberg umbrella, with the brewery company becoming the biggest PepsiCo drink licenser in the world. The acquisition will be completed by 2025. It is expected that, once the sale is complete, Britvic will be combined with the operations of the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC). A review of the business will then take place and employees and stakeholders will be notified of the future of the new entity when appropriate.[15][16][17]
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Most of the company's operations are concentrated in the United Kingdom and Ireland and the company exports to over 50 countries. Its corporate headquarters moved from Chelmsford, Essex to Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in March 2012.[18]
United Kingdom
The drink brands the company owns in the UK include Britvic mixers, R. White's Lemonade, Tango, Robinson's and J2O – as well as being the licensed bottler for PepsiCo products within the UK. In 2008, Britvic launched Gatorade in the UK, after securing the rights to do so from PepsiCo. In May 2010, Britvic launched a UK specific version of the popular drink, Mountain Dew Energy. It tastes similar to its American counterpart, but has a lower caffeine and sugar content.[19]
Ireland
After their failed IPO C&C's sold their soft drink brands to Britvic, resulting in the company now owning a number of brands in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including, Ballygowan Water, Britvic, Cidona, MiWadi, and Energise Sport as well as the rights to the Pepsi and 7 Up brands in the territory through its bottling agreements with PepsiCo.[20]
France
Britvic bought Fruité Entreprises in May 2010 for £298 million. It has since renamed the business Britvic France. It is mainly a fruit juice business, unlike the GB&I businesses that focus on soft drinks.[21]
Brazil
In 2015, Britvic acquired ebba (Empresa Brasileira de Bebidas e Alimentos SA), located in São Paulo,[22] and in 2017 Bela Ischia, located in Rio de Janeiro.[23]
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Current brands are as follows:[1]
Dilutes
Water
- Aqua Libra
- Arto LifeWTR
- Ballygowan
- Drench
Carbonated soft drinks
- Tango
- Club (Ireland)
- Purdey's
- Britvic 55
- London Essence Company
- R. White's Lemonade
- TK (Taylor Keith) Lemonade (Republic of Ireland)
- C&C Lemonade (Northern Ireland)
- Energise (Ireland)
- Cidona
Other
- Bela Ischia (Brazil)
- Energise Sport (Ireland)
- Amé
- J2O
- J2O Spritz
- Fruité (France)
- Maguary (Brazil)
- Maguary Fruit Shoot (Brazil)
- Moulin De Valdonne (France)
- Natural Tea (Brazil)
- Pressade (France)
- Puro Coco (Brazil)
- Robinsons Fruit Shoot
- Robinsons Fruit Shoot Hydro
- Robinsons Fruit Shoot Juiced
- Robinsons Refresh’d
- Robinsons Fruit Creations
- Robinsons Squash’d
- Teisseire (France)
- Teisseire Fruit Shoot (France)
- Teisseire Fruit Shoot Au Jus (France)
Licensed from PepsiCo
- 7 UP
- Pepsi
- Lipton Ice Tea
- Sobe V Water
- Mountain Dew Energy
- Gatorade (Great Britain)
- Rockstar Energy
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