Australian supermarket Woolworths has made the shock announcement that it won’t be stocking Coca-Cola’s new No Sugar variant.
Released last month to replace the Coke Zero brand, the company said it is its biggest launch in a decade with around two million samples to be handed out across the country.
However, Woolworths believes that consumers already have enough choice. Coke Zero is still proving popular, but will be phased out next year.
“We have taken the decision to not range this product at this time,” a Woolworths spokesman told the Australian Financial Review.
“Our customers looking for a no-sugar or low-sugar cola option have ample choice already in the category across a range of different pack sizes and formats.”
The supermarket’s decision is a major blow for Coca-Cola, which aims to eliminate consumer confusion around the differences between Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Life.
Australian consumers are moving away from traditional fizzy beverages and looking for more variety in bottled water and energy drinks.
But Coca-Cola is confident the new range will be a hit with consumers as it was created to taste like the original variant.
Coca-Cola South Pacific group marketing manager Marina Rocha said that following years of research, the company has created its ‘best tasting sugar-free Coca-Cola recipe ever’.
“The new Coca-Cola No Sugar offers a great new choice for those who love the taste of Coke but are conscious of their sugar intake.”
Despite the early hiccup, Coca-Cola Amatil, the company’s Australian bottler, is ‘entirely confident that Coca-Cola No Sugar will be a huge success’.
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