Company type | Public limited company |
---|---|
LSE: BAG FTSE 250 Component | |
Industry | Soft drinks, energy drinks |
Founded | 1875 |
Founder | Robert Barr |
Headquarters | Cumbernauld, Scotland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Mark Allen, Chairman Euan Sutherland, Chief Executive |
Brands | Irn-Bru Tizer Rubicon Boost |
Revenue | £317.6 million (2023) [1] |
£45.3 million (2023) [1] | |
£33.9 million (2023) [1] | |
Number of employees | 937 (2023) [1] |
Website | agbarr |
A.G. Barr plc, commonly known as Barr's, is a Scottish soft drink and energy drink manufacturer based in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland widely known for manufacturing the drink Irn-Bru. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The company was founded in 1875 by Robert Barr in Falkirk. [2] In 1887, his son, Robert Fulton Barr, set up a division of the original company in Glasgow, which had a much larger population. [2] In 1892 the Glasgow branch passed to Andrew Greig Barr (where the name A.G. Barr comes from), a brother of the branch's founder. [2] In 1899, they soft launched Irn-Bru, eventually launching it in 1901. [3] The Falkirk and Glasgow divisions merged in 1959, and the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1965. [2]
In 1972, A.G. Barr acquired the Tizer brand. [2] In 2001 the company acquired Findlays Mineral Water which is sourced in the Lammermuir Hills. [4] In 2002, Roger White joined A.G. Barr as managing director, and in 2004 became the first chief executive from outside the Barr family. [5]
The company acquired Forfar-based Strathmore Mineral Water in May 2006. [6] The Irn-Bru 32 energy drink variant was launched in 2006. [2] In 2008, the company purchased the Taut sports drink range, [7] and exotic fruit drink company Rubicon. [8]
In November 2012, the company agreed to merge with Britvic, which produces drinks like J2O, Tango and Robinsons, as well as holding the authority to produce Pepsi for the UK market, to create one of Europe's largest soft drinks companies. [9] The merger was abandoned in July 2013. [10]
The company acquired a cocktail mixer business, Funkin, in February 2015. [11]
In December 2022, the company acquired Boost Drinks for £20 million from founders Simon and Alison Gray. [12] The company also took full control of Moma Foods at that time. [13]
In October 2023, it was announced A.G. Barr had acquired the Rio Tropical Limited soft drinks brand from the independent brewer and pub company, Hall and Woodhouse Limited, for £12.3 million. [14]
On 14 July 1961, the Coca-Cola Company asked Lord Walker [note 1] for an interim interdict about the type of bottle used by A.G. Barr's "Kolabar", "Cydrap" and "Stilkrush" in the Court of Session. Coca-Cola's argument was that "real danger that the bottle used by [A.G. Barr] for containing Kolabar will be mistaken by the public for [Coca-Cola].", while A.G. Barr's argument was "the position of Coca-Cola in the soft drinks industry in Scotland is insignificant in comparison with that of [A.G. Barr]". Lord Walker refused the interim interdict, as a large part of their business could've been disturbed, additionally because Coca-Cola made no sales in the country at that point. [15] [16]
A.G. Barr produces a variety of soft drinks from production sites at Cumbernauld, Forfar and Milton Keynes. [17] Irn-Bru was launched in 1901. [2]
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings each day. Coca-Cola ranked No. 94 in the 2024 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. Based on Interbrand's "best global brand" study of 2023, Coca-Cola was the world's sixth most valuable brand.
Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imitated by other manufacturers. Most colas originally contained caffeine from the kola nut, leading to the drink's name, though other sources of caffeine are generally used in modern formulations. The Pemberton cola drink also contained a coca plant extract. His non-alcoholic recipe was inspired by the coca wine of pharmacist Angelo Mariani, created in 1863.
Irn-Bru is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as "Scotland's other national drink". Introduced in 1901, the drink is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, by A.G. Barr of Glasgow. As well as being sold throughout the United Kingdom, Irn-Bru is available throughout the world and can usually be bought where there is a significant community of people from Scotland. The brand also has its own tartan. It has been the top-selling soft drink in Scotland for over a century, competing directly with global brands such as Coca-Cola.
Orangina is a lightly carbonated beverage made from carbonated water, 12% citrus juice, as well as 2% orange pulp. Orangina is sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and in some markets with artificial sweetener. Natural flavors are also added.
Inca Kola is a soft drink that was created in Peru in 1935 by British immigrant Joseph Robinson Lindley. The soda has a sweet, fruity flavor that somewhat resembles its main ingredient, lemon verbena. Americans compare its flavor to bubblegum or cream soda, and it is sometimes categorized as a champagne cola.
Cream soda is a sweet soft drink. Generally flavored with vanilla and based on the taste of an ice cream float, a wide range of variations can be found worldwide.
Tizer is a red-coloured, citrus-flavoured soft drink bottled in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, and sold in the United Kingdom. The name originally comes from the phrase "Tizer the Appetizer". It was launched in 1924 by Fred and Tom Pickup of Pudsey when it was known as "Pickup's Appetiser".
Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It produces soft drinks under its own name, and several other brands.
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is a component of the DJIA and the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indexes.
Barr Cola is a cola made from kola nuts by the A.G. Barr company, makers of Irn-Bru. The drink was first released in 1875. It was once called Strike Cola and was popular in Britain's fish and chip shops and corner shops. Nowadays, it is still enjoyed by many, but largely overshadowed by the same firm's bigger drink Irn-Bru. Barr's Cola can be purchased in 250ml bottles, 330ml cans, 500ml bottles, 750ml glass bottles and 2 litre plastic bottles. Barr’s Cola is suitable for vegans. The drink is produced in the A.G. Barr factories in Forfar, Milton Keynes and Cumbernauld. Each factory can produce up to 120,000 cans of Barr's Cola every minute. Barr Cola and its different flavours are sold in the supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland. They can also be bought in many smaller establishments throughout the UK.
A secret ingredient is a component of a product that is closely guarded from public disclosure for competitive advantage. Sometimes the ingredient makes a noticeable difference in the way a product performs, looks or tastes; other times it is used for advertising puffery. Companies can go to elaborate lengths to maintain secrecy, repackaging ingredients in one location, partially mixing them in another and relabeling them for shipment to a third, and so on. Secret ingredients are normally not patented because that would result in publication, but they are protected by trade secret laws. Employees who need access to the secret are usually required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Westfield is an area of the town of Cumbernauld in Scotland. Westfield is a popular residential area originally built by Cumbernauld Development Corporation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It comprises a residential area and a large industrial estate. Historically there was a farm at Westfield as shown on Roy's map of the Lowlands and the 1st 25 inch Ordnance Survey Map of Scotland. It is located near Condorrat and Broadwood Stadium, home of Clyde FC. Historically, there were two local primary schools, St Francis of Assisi Primary School and Westfield Primary School. St. Francis of Assisi Primary School closed in 2009. The site has been re-developed by North Lanarkshire Council with new, high quality social housing available to rent. The new street is named Netherinch Way. Westfield also has other modern, private developments for example a new Bellway Housing development sits near Broadwood stadium along with a neighboring housing development. Westfield has a selection of frequent bus services to Airdrie, Cumbernauld Town Centre, Glasgow, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch with buses operated by David Allan Coaches, First Group & McGills. In 2017 plans for a new retail park near Broadwood Studium were approved.
Barr Britvic Soft Drinks plc was a proposed company to be formed by the merger of two British soft drink manufacturers, A.G. Barr and Britvic. Former Britvic shareholders were to own 63 percent of the combined entity, whilst Barr shareholders would have held 37 percent. Measured by revenue, it would have been one of the largest soft drink companies in Europe. The company would have had annual sales of more than £1.5 billion and would have employed around 4,300 staff members.
Events from the year 1901 in Scotland.
Champagne cola, Kola Champagne, or Champagne soda is a sweetened carbonated beverage produced mainly in the tropics of Latin America, former British West Indies, and Pakistan. Kola Champagne was invented in Puerto Rico by Ángel Rivero Méndez. Rivero Méndez was a Captain in the Spanish Army during the Spanish–American War. In 1902, a few years after the end of the Spanish-American War, Rivero Méndez founded El Polo Norte Fábrica de Sodas where he created the Kola Champagne, which became, and still is, a popular soft drink in Puerto Rico. While elaborating the drink he worked on his book, Chronicle of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico.
The 2016–17 Scottish Challenge Cup, known as the IRN-BRU Cup due to sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the competition. The tournament took on a different format from previous seasons with a total of 54 teams participating. It was the first season with two clubs from both Northern Ireland and Wales competing alongside the 30 members of the 2016–17 Scottish Championship, 2016–17 Scottish League One and 2016–17 Scottish League Two, four teams from the 2016–17 Highland Football League and four from the 2016–17 Lowland Football League as well as the Under-20 teams of the teams competing in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership.