SOFT drinks group Britvic has reported a 1.3% increase in first-quarter revenue to £311.8 million in spite of lower volumes in its home market.

In the UK, carbonated beverages revenue grew by 2.5%, with Pepsi a strong performer, but volumes were said to be marginally down. Still drinks saw a 0.3% dip in revenue, with volumes falling 3.4% mainly because of lower sales of Robinsons and J2O. In Ireland, underlying revenue was up 2.1%, France grew by 4.7% and other international operations saw a 5.6% increase. Britvic said its Fruit Shoot brand had continued to grow in the US and remained on course for an India launch in the middle of this year.

Simon Litherland, chief executive, said it was a "robust" performance in a "challenging consumer environment".

Annual profits are expected to be between £148m and £156m.