Our strategy

Consumer insight drives our business.  Consumer preferences are changing and we take the time to listen, to understand and to respond proactively to ensure our portfolio of brands constantly develops to meet our consumers’ changing needs.  

At an A.G. Barr Group level this insight is a key factor in how we identify potential acquisition opportunities.  We monitor consumer trends closely, specifically in relation to fast moving packaged consumer goods, specifically identifying developments in the beverage sector as well as emerging or high growth categories of interest.  

At a divisional level these consumer trends underpin our approach to innovation, including product, packaging and ingredients, as well as our consumer engagement and marketing activities.  In the past 12 months we have placed a particular focus on areas such as digital sales and marketing as well as using our brands to raise awareness of our sustainability progress.

We are brand owners and builders, growing our diverse and differentiated brand portfolio both organically and through acquisition.  

For our existing portfolio of powerful brands we do this in a number of ways - we innovate, we grow brand awareness and loyalty through consumer engagement activity, and we build our product distribution through effective sales execution with customers.  

We are also ambitious, with a proven track record of successfully acquiring new brands.  Our core competency lies in soft drinks, however we have broadened our brand portfolio in recent years with a particular focus across the multi-beverage landscape.

We continually strive for greater effectiveness across our business, investing for growth and efficiency, while also ensuring strong financial controls are in place.  

From investment in new software platforms to an increasing focus on digital development and automation, as our business develops, we are committed to driving continuous improvement across our processes and infrastructure.

And in our Barr Soft Drinks division we have a well-invested asset base where we drive operational improvements and flexibility through our expansionary capital investment programmes, equipping us with some of the industry’s most efficient operational capability.

Building and maintaining long-lasting trust and successful relationships is central to our business and always has been.  Our responsible behaviour over the last 145 years has created a firm foundation, upon which we want to build further.  

Being a trusted business that acts with integrity is fundamental to our stakeholder relationships - from our consumers and customers to our suppliers and communities.  Equally, as the world around us changes, with climate change in particular becoming increasingly more pressing, our strategic choices are more than ever informed and supported by our desire to do the right thing and to play our part in addressing the key issues facing the world and society.  

We have a clear strategy and quantifiable goals across our four responsibility commitments - Acting with Integrity, Respecting the Environment, Supporting Healthy Living and Giving Back.  Whether it’s our increased use of recycled materials, our increasing number of women in leadership roles or our charitable giving, we are committed to delivering against our long-term responsibility strategy.