Britain's two major independent soft drinks makers, AG Barr and Britvic, have asked the Takeover Panel for more time to discuss their potential merger.The pair had been obliged to make an announcement about whether they will or won't tie the knot by 17:00 on Wednesday, October 3rd, but this deadline has been extended to 17:00 on October 31st.Reports of the merger talks first leaked out at the beginning of September. JH