UK sales totalled £8.4bn across all channels during the year, down just 1% in value and 2% in volume terms compared with the previous year’s strong performance. This robust performance comes as consumers turn towards brands they know and trust as economic conditions deteriorate.
Despite consumers planning their shopping more carefully, soft drinks are still considered a staple of the mid-sized shopping basket.
The consumer trends identified in last year’s report, such as the importance of health and well-being, indulgence, ethical and environmental concerns and convenience, are all still important to the consumer, but to a certain extent have been overshadowed by the challenging economic conditions.
In 2008, energy and sports drinks continued to drive the market as consumers sought specific functional benefits such as added vitamins, electrolytes, glucose or stimulants (including caffeine and guarana), while traditional favourites such as cola, squash and juice drinks proved to be resilient. Additionally, the big soft drinks brands held up well, as consumers opted for well-known and trusted names rather than switching to own-label products.
Commenting on the 2009 Soft Drinks Report, Paul Moody, Britvic chief executive and president of the British Soft Drinks Association, said: “Soft drinks continue to be a staple purchase on which consumers are reluctant to compromise. And as a soft drink is a small-ticket, cash item offering affordable everyday enjoyment, they have little reason to.
“In the downturn so far, it’s the big brands and traditionally popular subcategories like cola, squash and juice drinks that consumers seem particularly unwilling to do without. The soft drinks industry’s close understanding of consumer and shopper behaviour has enabled it to continue satisfying the huge diversity of consumer needs, whether for hydration, health, enjoyment, convenience, value or – particularly nowadays – all of those at once. With another tough year in prospect, the challenge for the industry is to keep delivering the combination of value and quality that consumers expect, and to stay alert to every shift in their daily purchasing decisions.”
The full report is available online (with charts and data extracts).
Source: Britvic
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024