AG Barr chief executive Roger White to retire after 21 years

The boss of Irn-Bru maker AG Barr has announced that he is stepping down after more than 21 years in the job.

Chief Executive Roger White will resign as a director and retire from the company at a "mutually agreed date" within the next 12 months.

AG Barr said it would start looking for a successor immediately to "ensure a smooth leadership transition".

Mr White, 59, is thought to be one of the longest serving chief executives of a public company in the UK.

AG Barr chairman Mark Allen said Mr White had "supported the transformation of the business from a regional soft drinks business into a highly successful multi-beverage, branded company".

Mr White said: "It has been a privilege and pleasure to lead the business for over two decades and now the time is right to plan for my succession and to ensure the continued success of the business."

The announcement came as the Cumbernauld-based business, whose other main brands include Rubicon, Funkin and Boost, saw revenues leap by a third in the first half of the financial year.

Revenue for the six months to 30 July is expected to reach about £210m, up from £157m in the same period last year.

Excluding the contribution from the Boost drinks business acquired in December 2022, revenue grew by 10%.

The company said it benefited from "underlying brand momentum", higher pricing from early in the year and particularly good weather in June.

Looking ahead, AG Barr said the delay in implementing the Scottish deposit return scheme had provided it with "a more stable and certain consumer environment and enables the accelerated execution of our innovation plans".

It expects full-year profits to be marginally above the top end of analysts' expectations.

Mr White said: "We have strong brand plans in place across the business for the balance of the year to sustain our growth momentum and we remain confident in the group's long-term growth strategy," he added.