Innocent and AG Barr let loose with juice in UK health push

Innocent and AG Barr let loose with juice in UK health push
Key words: juice,drink, fruit
From:http://www.china-food-wholesaler.com/buy-juice/
Euro demand
The strategy could prove to be prudent according to consumer analyst Euromonitor, which said that the country lay behind only Germany in terms of EU juice demand rates last year.
Annual fruit and vegetable juice consumption within the UK during 2007 was 2.2bn litres, ahead of third placed Poland, which drank 1.49bn litres over the same period. However, Germany was found to be the largest market in Europe for juice demand, consuming 3.3bn litres of the product, the analyst said.
It is in this market that AG Barr announced that it had entered into a conditional agreement to purchase the operations of exotic soft-drink maker Groupe Rubicon for £59.8m (€76.4m).
Barr, which produces the Irn Bru carbonated beverage brand, added that although this wasn’t it first foray into fruit juices, should the deal go ahead, it would provide a major expansion of its presence in the UK branded beverage market.
Aside from further product diversification following its recent push into energy drinks, the Scotland-based soft drink maker claimed that the acquisition would allow it to attempt a number of cost efficiency improvements in its operations.
Innocent, which has previously concentrated solely on manufacturing smoothie products, is also hoping to establish itself within the juice market by launching its own brand of natural orange juices.
Available either with or without orange ‘bits’, Innocent claims that its orange juice, which will be sourced from various different areas throughout the year, will be preservative and additive free.
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