New Delhi: Varun Beverages Ltd, leading bottler of beverages major PepsiCo, on Wednesday reported a 33.47 per cent jump in consolidated profit after tax of Rs 731.36 crore in the first quarter ended March 2025, aided by healthy organic volume growth in India.
The company, which follows the calendar year as its financial year, had posted a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 547.98 crore in the same quarter a year ago, Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL) said in a regulatory filing.
Consolidated revenue from operations in the latest January-March quarter stood at Rs 5,680.03 crore as against Rs 4,397.98 crore in the year-ago period, it added.
Total expenses in the quarter under review were higher at Rs 4,729.7 crore, as compared to Rs 3,690.42 crore in the same period a year ago.
Consolidated sales volume grew by 30.1 per cent to 312.4 million cases in Q1 CY2025 from 240.2 million cases in Q1 CY2024 driven by strong organic volume growth of 15.5 per cent in India and in-organic volume contributions from South Africa (SA) and DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), the company said.
Varun Beverages Ltd Chairman Ravi Jaipuria said, "The integration of the SA territory has progressed well, with focused efforts on strengthening on-ground infrastructure, streamlining operations, and enhancing execution across the market. We achieved 141 million cases in SA over the trailing four quarters, marking a growth of 13 per cent over the same period last year." He further said, "Net realisations in SA are lower due to a higher mix of own brands. However, we are actively working to scale PepsiCo's portfolio, which is expected to support improvements in realisations and margins going forward." Jaipuria said, "In line with our dividend policy, the board of directors has approved an interim dividend of 25 per cent of face value -- 50 paisa per share -- resulting in a total cash outflow of approximately Rs 169.1 crore." About the outlook, he said,"Looking ahead, we see immense headroom for growth in India's beverage market, supported by rising per capita incomes, accelerating urbanisation, expanding electrification, and improving cold-chain infrastructure." With adequate capacities in place, a diversified product portfolio, and a strengthened distribution network, he said, "We remain well-positioned to capitalise on these opportunities and deliver sustainable value to all stakeholders."
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