Britvic

Britvic was a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It produced soft drinks under its own name, as well as several other brands. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Carlsberg Group and integrated into Carlsberg's UK operations as part of Carlsberg Britvic in January 2025.

History

The company was founded in the 1930s in Chelmsford as the ''British Vitamin Products Company''. It started producing fruit juices in 1938 and started marketing them under the ''Britvic'' name in 1949. 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. In 1995, it bought Robinson's from Reckitt & Colman.

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. In May 2007, the Company bought the soft drinks and distribution businesses of Ireland's Cantrell & Cochrane (C&C) for £169.5m.

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. The merger was put into serious doubt after the Office of Fair Trading referred it to the Competition Commission. On 11 July 2013, A.G. Barr chairman, Ronnie Hanna, announced that the proposed merger had been abandoned.

In May 2017, PepsiCo announced that it had decided to sell its long-held 4.5 per cent stake in Britvic.

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 transaction was approved by the court on 15 January 2025, so allowing it to complete.

Britvic was incorporated into Carlsberg's existing UK business Carlsberg Marston's, and the whole business was renamed Carlsberg Britvic on 17 January 2025.

Operations

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.

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.

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.

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.

Brazil

In 2015, Britvic acquired ebba (Empresa Brasileira de Bebidas e Alimentos SA), located in São Paulo, and in 2017 Bela Ischia, located in Rio de Janeiro.

Current brands

Current brands are as follows:

Dilutes
* Robinsons
* BritviC
* MiWadi (Ireland)
* Ebba (Brazil)
* Dafruta (Brazil)
* Maguary (Brazil)
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

References

External links

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{{Authority control

British brands
British royal warrant holders
Companies based in Chelmsford
Companies based in Hemel Hempstead
Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
Drink companies of the United Kingdom
Gatorade
PepsiCo bottlers
Soft drinks manufacturers
Tango (drink)
Whitbread former divisions and subsidiaries