Britvic PLC (LSE:BVIC) said it had an encouraging third quarter performance helped by the easing of lockdown restrictions in the UK which significantly improved its ‘out-of-home’ and ‘on-the-go’ sales channels.
The juice and mixers drinks group specifically benefitted from trade restocking amid the reopening of hospitality along with strong consumer demand for its brands.
Nonetheless, despite the improving trends Britvic noted that its business has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels and it described the summer trading period as critical.
Full-year profit is expected within current market expectations, it added.
“Some degree of uncertainty remains for now as the full course of the pandemic is still unknown,” said chief executive Simon Litherland.
“That said, the momentum we had built up going into the pandemic has stood us in good stead throughout, and I am confident that we will continue to navigate our way through it successfully.”
“We remain committed to rebuilding investment behind our portfolio of market-leading brands to ensure we continue to emerge strongly and are well-positioned for the recovery as it evolves.”
Litherland added: “We remain confident that our strategy is fit for the future and will continue to drive growth and create sustainable value for all our stakeholders."