Booming demand from the Chinese for western beer, wine and soft drinks brands helped China-focused beverages importer Asia Distribution Solutions post healthy maiden results, with the group confident of further progress in the current year.

ADSL, which listed on AIM in November (Frankfurt: A0S9N7 - news) , reported profits of £127,000 for the period April to December 2007, on revenues of £520,000. On a pro-forma basis, adjusting for two acquisitions made since the float, profits came in at £234,000 on sales of £1.45m.

The group says consumption of wine, beer and soft drinks in China is at record levels but methods of delivery are outdated and fragmented and it aims to improve its coverage throughout the major cities in China.

"Looking ahead, we are very confident of the group's prospects. We have now established an excellent platform to grow this business further and our plan remains to become the national distributor of choice in China. The future of the group remains very promising," chairman Michael Kingshott said.

"Trading since 1 January 2008 has been in line with management's expectations," he added.