Britvic still buoyant despite Irish falls

SOFT drinks group Britvic yesterday posted an 11 per cent jump in sales but said the recent poor weather had taken the fizz out of consumer demand.

The firm, which makes Tango, J20, Pepsi and 7Up, said it expects the British market to demonstrate resilience during 2010 but predicts difficult times ahead for its business in Ireland.

Britvic said sales for the 12 weeks to 20 December grew to 242.7 million as British and international revenues offset falls in the firm's Irish market.

The company said it had out-performed the British soft drinks market, which itself was returning to growth.