The head of the Irn-Bru family dynasty who led the expansion of the Scottish soft drink into the “emerging market” of England and Wales is to leave the board of the listed company that makes the beverage after 58 years.
AG Barr said on Tuesday that Robin Barr, the company’s largest shareholder and one of only three people in the world who know the recipe for Irn-Bru, will stand aside as director in May.
Barr, the great-grandson of the company’s founder, joined AG Barr in 1960 and became chair in 1978. Under his tenure Irn-Bru cemented its status during the late 20th century as a symbol of national identity in Scotland, where the drink outsold Coca-Cola, and it also became widely available in the rest of the UK.
A long-running Irn-Bru marketing slogan “Made in Scotland, from Girders” — a nod to its rusty orange colour — was developed on his watch. Barr also led a switch from glass to plastic bottles and was an early adopter of cans.
Barr stepped down as chair in 2009 but said at the time he would still come in about once a month to “compound the essence” of the fizzy drink.
While AG Barr, which was founded in 1875, is best known for Irn-Bru, its portfolio also spans Strathmore water, Rubicon exotic fruit juices and Tizer.
The company, based in Cumbernauld near Glasgow, is run by Roger White, a non-family member, but the Barrs will retain a directorship, as well as an economic stake in the business.
Barr, who holds a 15.3 per cent stake in the London-listed company, according to Capital IQ, is to be replaced on the board by his daughter Julie, subject to shareholder approval.
White paid tribute on Tuesday to Barr — who keeps a low profile — as an “unsung hero” and “a true gentleman of the soft drinks industry”.
The chief executive said Barr had spearheaded the company’s expansion into “the large emerging market” of England and Wales and had been “if not the public face of the brand, the power behind the brand”.
AG Barr announced his departure on Tuesday alongside an 18 per cent jump in revenues to £317.6mn for the year to the end of January 29. Pre-tax profits rose from £42.2mn to £44.4mn and the company had net cash of £53mn at the end of the period.
However it warned of a “short-term impact on operating margins” as a result of inflationary cost pressures and also because the company was in an “investment phase”. Shares in AG Barr were down 3.9 per cent in early afternoon trading on Tuesday.
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