Nichols plc (AIM:NICL) – AIM’s blue chip comes up with goods
The AIM quoted soft drinks Group came out with the usual set of excellent results for the year ended 31 December 2014. This is a fantastic business that merits a premium rating.
Nichols brand portfolio includes Vimto, which is sold in over 65 countries and Levi Roots, Sunkist and Panda which are sold in the UK. The Group once again outperformed the wider soft drinks market on its way to delivering double digit operating profit growth, pre-exceptional items - you can forgive them the exceptional! Group sales totalled £109.2m, an increase of 3.5% compared to the prior year and represents growth of 4.1% on a constant exchange rate basis. But the year was more about boosting the operating margin which rose to 23% (2013: 21%) driven by healthy international growth resulting in…