UPDATE 3-UK drinks maker Barr's profit up, 09 sales grow

* Year pretax profit 23.4 mln pounds, forecast 23 mln pounds

* Total dividend up 7.7 pct

* Like-for-like sales up in current year

* Shares down 1 pct at 0920 GMT

(Adds company, analyst comment, shares, details)

By Rhys Jones

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Scottish drinks maker A.G. Barr (BAG.L) said its products were proving resilient to the downturn and that sales growth had continued in the new year as it met expectations with a 9.7 percent increase in full-year profit.

The company, best known for its bright orange Irn Bru drink, on Monday posted pretax profit of 23.4 million pounds ($33.5 million) for the year to the end of January, in line with a consensus forecast on Reuters Estimates of 23 million, as sales rose 14.4 percent to 169.7 million.

"Our products are a relatively low value item in people's shopping basket and are generally not viewed as a discretionary item. I wouldn't say we're recession proof but I think we're pretty near the bottom of the pile when it comes to cutting out discretionary spend," Chief Executive Roger White told Reuters.

Shares in A.G. Barr, which have lost 7 percent of their value in the last quarter, were 1 percent down at 1209 pence by 0920 GMT, valuing the group at around 240 million pounds.

The group, which said sales of Irn Bru and Diet Irn Bru rose 8 percent during the year, raised the total dividend by 7.7 percent to 42 pence per share.

"This (dividend) increase demonstrates the continuing confidence we have in our ability to maintain progress despite the current economic uncertainties," said White.

A.G. Barr, which also produces Dandelion & Burdock, Rubicon and Tizer drinks, said like-for-like sales in the first seven weeks of the new financial year were ahead of 2008 levels.

"We're encouraged that current trading is tracking ahead of last year. The performance highlights, in our view, the resilient nature of the A.G. Barr brands, particularly in light of the poor 2008 summer and the weak consumer environment," said Altium analyst Greg Feehely.

Last year's acquisition of Groupe Rubicon left Barr with a year-end net debt of 31.3 million pounds but the company said it has sound banking facilities in place until July 2013.

Barr, which recently agreed a six-year extension to its Orangina franchise deal, is expected to deliver a pretax profit of 25 million pounds for 2009/10, according to a poll of three analysts by Reuters Estimates. ($1=.6984 Pound) (Editing by David Holmes and Simon Jessop)