Sales growth was strongest amongst Britvic’s still drinks brands.

Britvic, the company best known for its Robinsons and Tango drinks brands, has revealed its half-year profits have risen 13.2% to £17.2 million.

International growth was particularly strong, with Robinsons and Fruit Shoot driving sales up 17.6%, the company said. Overall, sales rose 28.6% to £454.7m.

Sales of still drinks – driven by consumers’ demand for healthier options – grew faster than Britvic was expecting, rising 2.8% during the period. Fizzy drink sales were also up slightly – increasing 0.4%.

Britvic Ireland performed particularly well, accounting for £99.5m of sales and £4.3m of profits.

Paul Moody, Britvic’s Chief Executive, said the company is still recovering from the effects of last year’s “poor summer”, as well as the “challenging retail environment” in pubs and bars.

He added: “The first half of our year has been a period of modest growth for the soft drinks market overall, with improving growth trends evident in the early weeks of the second half.

“We are well positioned to drive group earnings growth through brand and product expansion, innovation, a continued close focus on cost control, and the realisation of the benefits of the outsourcing of retail distribution. The board remains confident that we will deliver on our full year expectations.”

For more information, visit www.britvic.co.uk

By Natasha Piscitelli