Red Bull’s bid for sugar-freedom

Launched in 2003, and containing just eight calories a can, Sugarfree accounts for almost one in five cans of Red Bull sold.

Red Bull trade marketing manager Caroline Jacomb said: “Health and well-being will be the most important consumer issue over the next five years. More than one in four adults in the UK are trying to lose weight ‘most of the time’, and diet variants are taking an ever increasing share over their regular counterparts, as a drink on its own and as a mixer.

“Consumers who actively seek out Red Bull Sugarfree will switch to a less profitable diet soft drink if they can’t see what they’re looking for, or if Red Bull is out of stock, so ensuring that it’s available and visible is key to your profits.”

According to Red Bull UK, since the launch of Sugarfree, 25% of new buyers of the Red Bull brand have been Sugarfree buyers, and the variant now accounts for about 15% of Red Bull UK total sales.