Irn Bru owner AG Barr and Britvic have agreed the terms of a merger which will create one of Europe’s largest soft drinks companies.
The new company will be called Barr Britvic Soft Drinks plc.
The head office of Barr Britvic will be in Cumbernauld, which will also be its registered office, while the new group’s operational headquarters will be located at Britvic’s existing head office in England.
The merger is likely to see about 500 jobs cut from combined headcount of just over 4,000 people.
The merger ratio will leave Britvic shareholders with approximately 63% of the new company and AG Barr shareholders with 37%.
The role of chief executive will go to Roger White, who is currently the boss of AG Barr. He said, “We aim to deliver a fully integrated soft drinks business with key growing brands. We will develop a great team, and ensure that the core trading performance is well delivered alongside the integration plan.”
It’s too early to see what this will mean for Scottish jobs.