Fever-Tree edges out competition to become top retail mixer

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 24 January, 2018

Fever Tree has continued its indomitable hold on the UK spirits sector by becoming the top mixer by value in UK retail.

The latest coup for the brand came in the second half of 2017 when it pushed out the likes of rival Schweppes to become the number one mixer brand by value in the UK off-trade (IRI, 13 weeks to 31/12/17).

Performance in the UK in the second half of 2017 was once again “exceptionally strong”, the group said, helped by Christmas sales, where an “impressive rate of sales growth across all channels, formats and flavours” is expected to result in full year revenues being 96% ahead of 2016.

Following similar growth patterns in Europe, the US and rest of world, the company has announced plans to bring forward operational expenditure in the US.

This follows the creation of a North American office and the appointment of Charles Gibb as CEO, announced in December 2017, cementing future ambitions to fully crack the US market.

Tim Warrillow, co-founder and CEO, said: I am very proud of our performance in 2017 which has seen Fever-Tree end the year as the number one mixer brand at UK retail. Our pioneering approach and commitment to providing consumers with the highest quality range of mixers continues to capture peoples’ imagination and is transforming the wider UK mixer category which as a result is now the fastest growing category across the soft drinks sector.

“There is clear evidence that the same trends of premiumisation and mixability that we’ve previously highlighted are accelerating and we are increasingly excited by the global opportunity this presents particularly as we transition to our own operations in the US.”

Full year group revenue is tipped to be around £169 million - a 66% rise on 2016, with YOY sales in the second half expected to be ahead by 58%.

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