SOFT DRINKS MANUFACTURER NICHOLS REVEALS IT NOW EXPORTS TO 35 COUNTRIES IN AFRICA

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Vimto soft drinks owner Nichols plc announces two new appointments to its international team, and also reveals it has launched in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, and Uganda, and is now present in 35 countries in Africa.

Nichols plc has appointed Matt Nichols and Robert Hammersley as commercial directors to run its £32m ($43.6m) international business. The new appointments come on the back of 20.3% year on year growth in the business unit.

Nichols’ international business has been particularly buoyed by sales in Africa, which are up 21.2% on 2016. The company’s Vimto brand is especially popular. Vimto is produced locally in more than 29 countries by licensees, exported officially and also sourced via UK cash and carry by independent retailers. Vimto is produced under license in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Mali, and Senegal. In 2015,  in 2015 Nichols launched Vimto Malt, which is available in around 18 countries and has enjoyed modest success in West African markets.

In its official media release, Nichols also noted that in the past year it had launched in five new African countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, and Uganda. Its launch in Côte d’Ivoire is a relaunch – the brand first entered the country in 2002. In 2016, Vimto was launched in Angola, Chad, DRC, Gabon, and Sudan. The Vimto brand is now present in 35 African countries. Nichols has also launched Vimto Ginger and Vimto Watermelon variants for its African markets.