Andrew Milne, CEO of Vimto brand parent Nichols, has praised the soft drinks group’s “strong performance” in the UK, alongside “meaningful progress” in Africa in an update to the stock market this morning.
The Newton-le-Willows-based soft drinks group behind the world famous, and quintessentially Mancunian, flagship Vimto brand, said it delivered a 2025 of further strategic progress and expects to report revenue and adjusted profit before tax – before exceptional items – in line with current market expectations, which are revenues of £178.8m and adjusted profit before tax of £33.1m.
The update revealed that group revenue increased by 1.3% to £175m as the company successfully moved to a lower revenue/higher margin concentrate model in Africa.
Packaged revenue increased by 1.5% alongside revenue growth of 2.6% in the group’s UK business. This reflected positive performances across all key subcategories drincluding both core products and new products.
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International packaged revenue was in line with fiscal year 2024, with two per cent growth on a like-for-like basis following the success of the ongoing strategic shift towards the margin-enhancing concentrate model across several African markets.
Africa performed ahead of expectations, with like-for-like growth of 10%, partially offset by the Middle East due to the phasing of shipments following an earlier Ramadan in 2025, as previously announced.
Out of Home revenue was consistent year-on-year, following the exit of the low margin Starslush business and the focus on driving profitability to contribute to bottom-line performance, in line with the group’s strategy.
The group’s balance sheet also remains strong, and growing. As at December 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were £55.8m, compared with £53.7m the previous year, even after continued investment in the group’s successful enterprise resource planning system implementation, which is now complete.
Nichols said it will maintain a strong balance sheet and a progressive dividend policy, with a commitment to return surplus cash to shareholders.
As previously announced, Matt Rothwell will join the group as chief financial officer in April.
The board said it is confident his expertise and strategic insight will be “instrumental in supporting the group’s continued development and growth.”
Looking ahead, Nichols said it continues to benefit from its asset-light, diversified business model, with an established and strong UK market position complemented by attractive growth opportunities across the international business.
CEO Milne said: “During FY25 we continued to execute our strategic plans effectively.
“We delivered meaningful progress in Africa as we continued our shift to a higher margin concentrate model in key markets, while our focus on innovation continues to appeal to new consumers in the Middle East.
“Our UK packaged business continues to deliver a strong performance, reflecting the enduring appeal of the iconic Vimto brand and supported by new product development, including our Wonderfuel squash proposition which launched in March.”
He added: “We have a number of exciting plans across our markets in the year ahead and remain focused on driving further progress to deliver our stated medium term ambitions, leveraging the strength of the Vimto brand, the group’s diversified business model and strong financial position.”
