Irn-Bru company AG Barr's sales buck trend

The company behind fizzy drink Irn-Bru has defied the downturn with an increase in sales this year.

AG Barr's revenue increased by 4.3% between February and May compared with the same period in 2011.

The firm, based in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, said it was a robust figure in the face of a wet April, which hit high street footfall and the "challenging soft drinks market in general".

The figures were published in an interim management statement, posted on the firm's website ahead of the annual general meeting in Glasgow today.

The group, whose brands also include Rubicon fruit juices and Strathmore water, said it expected costs to continue to go up but that a strategy was in place to make sure profit margins were not hit too hard.

Plans to create a production and warehousing facility in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, are also making "good progress", according to the statement.

It read: "We have started the new financial year with all of our core brands performing well in difficult market conditions.

"During the course of the period the unseasonal weather for the time of year has impacted the market and a period of more normal conditions will now be required to bring the market back into growth.

"Despite the challenges of current market conditions and continued low consumer confidence, the business is performing in line with our expectations".

PA