Soft drinks for your chiller this summer

Consumers are looking for soft drinks options that provide hydration but also allow them to make healthier lifestyle choices. Bottled water plays an important role here. Last year, plain water became the fastest growing category in convenience, with sales surging by 39.4% to £250.3m[2].  Water plus (flavoured or fortified water) also grew by 25.9% to £120.6m[3].  Stocking brands such as Aqua Libra’s range of sparkling water, infused with a variety of flavours, will ensure that you offer consumers something different to quench their thirst.

Consumers are well and truly back on-the-go and with that comes a need to stay energised. Energy drinks delivered most growth for convenience retailers in 2022 and interestingly, the £96.9m growth[4] was achieved despite only 8% of shoppers currently buying them in convenience[5]. This means that there is still significant room for growth and offering a wide range of energy drinks, such as Rockstar Energy, will attract more people to the category. 

Consumers are looking for drinks that provide them with refreshment. Cola, fruit carbonates and juiced drinks all showed double digit growth in the convenience channel last year and should be part of your offering. Adding interesting, limited-edition flavours into the mix can also drive impulse sales in the on-the-go market...