Euan Sutherland

Profits dipped due to one-off costs associated with restructuring. Irn-Bru and Rubicon performed well, boosted by Euro 2024 marketing, while Funkin cocktails faced challenges in the hospitality sector.

The company remains confident about its full-year outlook despite acknowledging consumer pressures.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould commented: “The last decade has thrown a lot at AG Barr, in the form of new regulations on sugar content, Covid-19, carbon dioxide shortages and input cost inflation (and they are all before the usual issues of competition and changing trends in consumers’ tastes), but the Scottish firm’s latest set of first-half results suggest it is coping admirably.”

He added: “Sales, profits and the dividend are all up and although the share price is not fizzing higher today it already stands at a five-year high, in recognition of how both revenues and net earnings could set new all-time peaks in the next fiscal year, to January 2026, if analysts’ forecasts prove accurate.”