LONDON (Reuters) - Irn-Bru soft drink maker A.G. Barr (>> A.G. Barr plc) pledged to try and push through a merger with rival Britvic (>> Britvic Plc) as it posted a 4 percent rise in annual profit.

The Scottish firm, which is awaiting approval from the Competition Commission on an all-share merger with its larger rival, on Thursday said profit before tax and exceptional items for the year to January 26 was 35 million pounds, up from 33.6 million in 2012.

"We are entering a period of significant workload associated with the Competition Commission enquiry, however the board considers there to be a compelling rationale for clearance and that the benefits of the transaction remain significant for both shareholder groups," chief executive Roger White said.

A.G. Barr shrugged off last year's dismal summer weather to grow revenues to 237.6 million pounds, up 6.6 percent on a year ago and ahead of 2.9 percent in the market, with brands such as Irn-Bru and Rubicon performing strongly.

Barr, whose fizzy orange Irn-Bru drink outsells Coca-Cola in Scotland, said it was confident in its future, either as a merged business or on a standalone basis.

The firm's planned tie-up with Robinsons and Tango maker Britvic was put on hold in February after The Office of Fair Trading referred it to Britain's anti-trust watchdog due to competition concerns around certain brands. The investigation is expected to take around six months.

In January Britvic posted a 4.8 percent rise in first quarter revenue, while earlier this month fellow British soft drinks maker Nichols (>> Nichols plc), whose brands include Vimto and Sunkist, reported an expected 13 percent rise in annual profit.

Shares in A.G. Barr, which have risen 28 percent in a year, closed at 520.5 pence on Wednesday, valuing the firm at around 607 million pounds.

(Reporting by Neil Maidment; editing by Rhys Jones)

Stocks treated in this article : A.G. Barr plc, Britvic Plc, Nichols plc