Soft Drinks

Tom Gockelen-Kozlowski

In recent years, two pressures have caused the soft drinks industry to innovate more than ever. On the one hand, health – and the arrival of the sugar tax – has seen brands rush to reformulate many of their bestselling drinks to cater to new regulations and growing consumer demand.

At the same time, taste has become more important as shoppers seek new flavour experiences. So, how can wholesalers develop a range that meets these demands and allows their retailer customers to profit in a time of economy uncertainty?

“We’ve seen a long-term trend towards drinks with lower sugar, with 57% of shoppers making or considering diet changes to make healthier choices. The low- or no-calorie segment continues to perform brilliantly, accounting for almost 48.3% of total soft drinks sales,” explains Matt Gouldsmith, channel director (wholesale) at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I). “We advise wholesalers to stock up on lower-sugar drinks such as Lucozade Zero, which has seen recent growth of over 58.5%, to make the most of this ongoing trend.”

Meeting the demand for taste, SBF GB&I recently launched Orange & Peach and Raspberry & Passion Fruit flavours for its Lucozade Sport Zero Sugar range. Meanwhile, the firm has launched Lucozade Alert with refreshed branding across all three flavours, including Cherry Blast, Tropical Burst and Original Lucozade.

Getting the right balance

One brand that thinks it has got the balance between health and flavour just right is Cawston Press.

“According to Proof Insight

Supplier Viewpoint

Adrian Hipkiss

Marketing and international business director, Boost Drinks

“Energy is the largest soft drinks category in the independent channel, with £1 in every £3 spent on an energy drink. This makes it an incredibly exciting space to operate in.

“The past two years of restrictions has seen a shift in energy drink shopping habits. As the nation travelled less and stayed home more, on-thego consumption became even more prominent, resulting in growing consumer demand for one-litre and multi-pack takehome formats.

“Despite restrictions now easing and footfall rising, takehome products continue to be a huge growth opportunity for retailers as shoppers continually seek ready-to-drink, on-the-go quality energy options at everyday value prices.

“Boost is the only brand operating in four functional drink categories – energy stimulation, sports drinks, RTD iced coffee and protein shakes, and within the energy stimulation category, it’s the third-largest brand, something we’re incredibly proud of. Boost Original is available in 1l, 500ml and Boost’s leading SKU, the 250ml Original Energy. This range of options and pack sizes allows consumers to rely on us as a brand and purchase a Boost that suits every occasion, whether on the move or stocking up to enjoy at home.”

Summer 2022 Trends, under-35s are treating themselves to better-quality drinks, which is exactly what we aim to offer,” says Kat Jones, the supplier’s marketing director. “This is reflected through our strong consecutive growth over the past 52 weeks, showing demand for quality drinks is on the rise. Our drinks are made with pressed fruit with no added sugar and no sweeteners.”

Rio is another brand – known for its tropical flavour – which is balancing this offer with healthier, natural brand messaging.

“Demand is on the rise for drinks that incorporate natural ingredients, provenance and nutritional benefits,” says Adrian Hipkiss, marketing and international business director at Rio’s brand owner, Boost Drinks.

“This can be seen through the fact that Rio is a top-five-ranked SKU in fruit carbonates based on unit rate of sale and has the second-largest wholesaler sales