Soft drink sales top £10bn for the first time
Sales of soft drinks have risen by 2% and total market value for this category has topped the £10 billion mark for the first time.
According to the Britvic Soft Drinks Review, sift drinks generated value sales in the leisure channel of more than £2.8 billion. Despite the decline seen immediately after the recession, consumers continued to treat themselves by visiting pubs and clubs. A willingness to spend on premium products and brand names enabled the soft drinks category was able to remain resilient.
Highlights from the review, based on independent Nielsen (w/e 28 December 2013) and CGA (w/e 28 December 2013) market data, include:
- Total market sales of £10.3bn
- Soft drinks retained its position as the third largest category in FMCG after beer and spirits within the leisure channel, with value sales of £2.8bn
- Cola retained the largest share in the leisure channel with value sales of £1.2bn and grew by 1%
- Lemonade halted its previous static performance by rising at 4% in value to be worth over £416m in pubs and clubs
- Spirits gave rise to mixers, with the segment growing by 2%
Paul Graham, general manager at Britvic Soft Drinks, comments, “Whilst other categories suffered in the wake of the continued economic challenges, soft drinks saw steady growth and value sales surpassed the £10bn mark for the first time. Although remaining flat, the leisure channel proved its resilience, with soft drinks faring better than other segments and holding on to its position as third biggest category in FMCG after beer and wine.”
