Paul Moody, Britvic's chief executive, claimed the maker of old-fashioned drinks such as Robinsons squash and Britvic mixers was a "glowing beacon of hope" in a gloomy world as the group's annual sales rose 29 per cent to £926.5m.

"Brands become more important in times of economic pressure," Mr Moody said as the soft drinks group released a trading update for the year to the end of September ahead of preliminary results next month. "The [soft drinks] category is pretty resilient against economic slowdown."