Fevertree Drinks PLC said Wednesday that pretax profit for 2019 fell as investment in future growth offset a strong U.S. performance, and that sales in retail stores have remained robust during coronavirus lockdowns.
Pretax profit for last year was 72.5 million pounds ($90.3 million) compared with GBP75.6 million in 2018, the U.K. maker of upmarket spirit mixers said.
Revenue for the year rose to GBP260.5 million from GBP237.4 million in 2018, driven by a strong performance in the U.S., Fevertree said.
The company said sales in pubs, bars and restaurants are facing an extremely challenging period due to coronavirus, but that sales in retail stores in many of its markets remain strong.
The board declared a final dividend of 9.88 pence a share, down from 10.28 pence a share in 2018, bringing the total dividend for 2019 to 15.08 pence a share, up from 14.50 pence a share a year before.
