In its preliminary results for 2016, Fever-Tree saw its full-year revenues grow 73% to hit £102.2 million, thanks to “strong” sales growth across all regions, channels and flavours.

Overall, the group’s growth was bolstered by improving margins, helped by advantageous foreign exchange movements, with adjusted EBITDA increasing by 97% to £35.8m.

Diluted earnings per share climbed to 23.70 pence from 11.48 pence. A final dividend of 4.71 pence per share was recommended to shareholders, bringing the total dividend to 6.25 pence per share.

The firm outlined a “particularly notable” performance in its established UK market, where revenues increased by 118%, having been boosted by 124% growth in the second half of the year thanks to a “strong” Christmas period.

Fever-Tree noted “exceptional” results in the UK off-trade, driven by “consistently strong growth” across principal retail customers Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and new retailer, Asda. The launch of the 150ml can format in June 2015 – now listed on EasyJet and expanded across the entire British Airways fleet – represented 33% of sales in the sector. In total, Fever-Tree drove 92% of the value growth in the entire UK mixer category within retail in 2016.

Sales in the on-trade, where 54% of UK revenue is generated, also grew “strongly” in 2016, driven by an increasing distribution footprint, combined with underlying rate of sale growth spurred by the premium gin and tonic movement.

Read more at source: The Spirits Business