 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Soft drinks |
| Founded | 1938; 87 years ago (1938) |
| Defunct | 17 January 2025; 55 days ago (2025-01-17) |
| Fate | Acquired by Carlsberg Group, merged into Carlsberg Marston's to createCarlsberg Britvic |
| Successor | Carlsberg Britvic |
| Headquarters | Hemel Hempstead,England,UK |
| 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] |
| Parent | Carlsberg Group |
| Subsidiaries | Robinsons |
| Website | britvic |
Britvic was a British producer ofsoft drinks based inHemel Hempstead, England. It produced soft drinks under its own name, as well as several other brands. It was listed on theLondon Stock Exchange until it was acquired byCarlsberg Group and integrated into Carlsberg's UK operations as part ofCarlsberg Britvic in January 2025.
The company was founded in the 1930s inChelmsford as theBritishVitamin ProductsCompany.[2][3] It started producing fruit juices in 1938 and started marketing them under theBritvic name in 1949.[4] Acquired by Showerings ofShepton Mallet, and subsequently a division ofAllied Breweries from 1968, the company changed its name toBritvic in 1971. In 1986, it merged withCanada Dry Rawlings and acquired theR. White's Lemonade brand. It acquiredTango and theCorona brand fromBeechams in 1987 and since that year it has also owned the UK franchise forPepsi and7 Up.[5] In 1995, it boughtRobinson's fromReckitt & Colman.[6]
In December 2005, the company underwent aninitial 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'sCantrell & Cochrane (C&C) for £169.5m.[8]
On 14 November 2012, the company announced plans to merge withScottish soft drink producerA.G. Barr, the maker of brands includingIrn-Bru,Tizer andD'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 theOffice of Fair Trading referred it to theCompetition 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 DanishCarlsberg 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.[15]
Britvic was incorporated into Carlsberg's existing UK business Carlsberg Marston's, and the whole business was renamed Carlsberg Britvic on 17 January 2025.[16]
Most of the company's operations are concentrated in the United Kingdom andIreland and the company exports to over 50 countries. Its corporate headquarters moved from Chelmsford, Essex to Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in March 2012.[17]
The drink brands the company owns in the UK include Britvic mixers, R. White's Lemonade,Tango, Robinson's andJ2O – as well as being the licensed bottler for PepsiCo products within the UK. In 2008, Britvic launchedGatorade in the UK, after securing the rights to do so fromPepsiCo. 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.[18]
After their failed IPOC&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.[19]
Britvic boughtFruité 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.[20]
In 2015, Britvic acquired ebba (Empresa Brasileira de Bebidas e Alimentos SA), located inSão Paulo,[21] and in 2017 Bela Ischia, located inRio de Janeiro.[22]
Current brands are as follows:[1]
Dilutes
Water
Carbonated soft drinks
Other
Licensed from PepsiCo
| Subsidiaries and brands |
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| Other | |||||
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