Irn-bru maker AG Barr beats annual profit expectations (updated)
31/03/2026 07:37
Adds details and context from paragraph 2 onwards March 31 (Reuters) - Irn-bru maker AG Barr BAG.L beat market expectations for annual profit on Tuesday, helped by a focus on its core brands and on in-trend health and wellness drinks. AG Barr, which owns beverage brands like Boost and Rubicon, sold its water brand Strathmore last year to redeploy capital into the more sought-after energy and health lines, including through its acquisition of fruit juice brand Frobishers Juices. The maker of the fizzy orange drink said the direct impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict was limited to energy cost spikes, adding that it has no direct revenue exposure to the region Middle East. It expects low double digit percentage revenue growth in fiscal 2026/2027, after posting a 4% rise in sales to 437.3 million pounds in fiscal 2025/2026. The firm posted adjusted pretax profit of 65.8 million pounds ($86.9 million) for the year ended January 31, topping analysts' estimate of 65.4 million pounds, per data compiled by LSEG. ($1 = 0.7571 pounds) (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy) ((Prerna.Bedi@thomsonreuters.com; +91 98052 24616;))