AG BARR chief executive Roger White has topped up his stake in the soft drinks company, spending £20,400 on shares.

He bought 2,000 shares at 1,020p a time and now has about 43,000, or 0.22% of the company.

AG Barr, most famous for the fizzy drink Irn-Bru, last week reported a rise in sales and profits but said its performance had been held back by poor summer weather.

Profit on ordinary activities before tax and exceptional items in the six months to July 26 jumped nearly 10% from the same period a year ago to £11.1m on turnover that rose by 6% to £82.4m. However, sales in the previous period had also suffered a lack of sunshine last year.

White added that the company had also had to pay higher prices for raw materials such as aluminium, plastic and glass.

He joined Barr as managing director in 2002. He was appointed chief executive in 2004.

Barr acquired drinks maker Rubicon in August for £59.8m. Its product range also includes Strathmore mineral water, Rockstar energy drinks and Ka, the Caribbean-style drinks.

- DAVID MOTT, a nonexecutive director at Shire, has lifted his stake in the FTSE 100-listed drugs group.

He bought 5,000 American Depositary Shares (ADS) in the company, which is the equivalent of 15,000 shares, at about $47.41 each. He paid an equivalent total of about £133,000 and now has 15,000 ADSs. An ADS is a vehicle for nonAmerican organisations to list their shares on one of the US stock exchanges.

Mott took the same number of ADSs in the company on September 11, paying $48 a time.

Shares in Shire, which is focused on developing treatments for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), genetic therapies and gastrointestinal diseases, have rallied sharply since July when it boosted second-quarter revenue by 35% and upgraded guidance for 2008 revenue growth to at least 20% from mid to high teens previously.

However, the shares are still down 25% over the past year. Earlier this year, the company’s share price fell as it was plagued by worries that sales of its ADHD treatment Vyvanse would not meet expectations.

Mott joined the board of Shire, which like several large companies has recently moved its tax residence to Ireland, in October last year.

Directors have in-depth knowledge of their businesses so it can pay to track their moves. Every week Digitallook.com reveals the bosses who have bought or sold big stakes

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