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Soft Drinks in
China

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Executive Summary

Mar 2019
Soft drinks records another year of growth

Soft drinks recorded another year of modest growth in 2018 thanks to outstanding performance by certain categories. Energy drinks enjoyed the most robust retail value growth followed by bottled water, sports drinks, Asian speciality drinks and carbonates, driven by energy drinks’ late entry to the Chinese market and energy drinks companies’ rising exposure in the media and at sports events.

Health awareness is widely seen in many categories

Consumers’ growing preference for health and wellness products that either exclude sugar or include functional ingredients is also reflected in soft drinks products. Reduced sugar energy drinks appeared for the first time in 2017 as Amway introduced its energy drinks brand XS to China and achieved success in the first year.

Local players perform better than multinationals

In spite of multinational players’ long-established brand recognition and relatively larger share, local players are leading soft drinks’ growth and innovation as multinational players suffer from transformation and localisation issues. Nongfu Spring Co Ltd witnessed successful performance in many categories including bottled water and RTD tea.

Chilled products on the rise

Consumers’ awareness of freshness is growing, with many consumers, especially those in high-tier cities, considering short shelf life a key sign of freshness. On the one hand, soft drinks manufacturers’ technological developments in food processing, storage and transportation are making the launch of chilled products possible.

Lighter products will receive more attention

Soft drinks products with lighter colour and taste are gaining popularity as these products convey an image of health and wellness. Bottled water has become some consumers’ priority over other soft drinks for its excellent hydration and light appearance.

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Soft Drinks in China

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Overview

Discover the latest market trends and uncover sources of future market growth for the Soft Drinks industry in China with research from Euromonitor's team of in-country analysts.

Find hidden opportunities in the most current research data available, understand competitive threats with our detailed market analysis, and plan your corporate strategy with our expert qualitative analysis and growth projections.

If you're in the Soft Drinks industry in China, our research will save you time and money while empowering you to make informed, profitable decisions.

When you purchase this report, you also get the data and the content from these category reports in China for free:

The Soft Drinks in China market research report includes:

  • Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
  • Detailed segmentation of international and local products
  • Historic volumes and values, company and brand market shares
  • Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
  • Production, imports by origin, exports by destination
  • Robust and transparent market research methodology, conducted in-country

Our market research reports answer questions such as:

  • What is the market size of Soft Drinks in China?
  • What are the major brands in China?
  • What potential exists for multinational vs. local soft drinks companies looking to increase market share?
  • How have changing social attitudes affected soft drink sales?
  • How have sustainability issues; such as environmentally-friendly packaging, legislation on recyclability, or the amount of plastic in bottles, affected the soft drink industry?

Why buy this report?

  • Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
  • Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
  • Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions

This industry report originates from Passport, our Soft Drinks market research database.

Soft Drinks in China

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Soft drinks records another year of growth
Health awareness is widely seen in many categories
Local players perform better than multinationals
Chilled products on the rise
Lighter products will receive more attention

MARKET DATA

Table 1 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Channel: Volume 2013-2018
Table 2 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Channel: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 3 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Channel: Value 2013-2018
Table 4 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Channel: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 5 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (as sold) by Category: Volume 2018
Table 6 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (as sold) by Category: % Volume 2018
Table 7 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: Value 2018
Table 8 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: % Value 2018
Table 9 Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 10 Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 11 Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 12 Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 13 Total Sales of Soft Drinks by Fountain On-trade: Volume 2013-2018
Table 14 Total Sales of Soft Drinks by Fountain On-trade: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 15 NBO Company Shares of Total Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 16 LBN Brand Shares of Total Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 17 NBO Company Shares of On-trade Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 18 LBN Brand Shares of On-trade Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 19 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 20 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Soft Drinks (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 21 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Soft Drinks: % Value 2014-2018
Table 22 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Soft Drinks: % Value 2015-2018
Table 23 Distribution of Off-trade Soft Drinks (as sold) by Format and Category: % Volume 2018
Table 24 Forecast Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Channel: Volume 2018-2023
Table 25 Forecast Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Channel: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 26 Forecast Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Channel: Value 2018-2023
Table 27 Forecast Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Channel: % Value Growth 2018-2023
Table 28 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 29 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks (RTD) by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 30 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 31 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Soft Drinks by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023
Table 32 Forecast Total Sales of Soft Drinks by Fountain On-trade: Volume 2018-2023
Table 33 Forecast Total Sales of Soft Drinks by Fountain On-trade: % Volume Growth 2018-2023

APPENDIX

Fountain sales in China
Trends

SOURCES

Summary 1 Research Sources

Asian Speciality Drinks in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Asian speciality drinks maintains growth due to health-related claims
Off-trade contributes to category volume sales
Asian speciality drinks is a fragmented region-driven category

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Tiandi No.1 Beverage dominates the category
PepsiCo enters the category with new vinegar drinks
Traditional Chinese drinks enables category variety

CATEGORY DATA

Table 34 Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: Volume 2013-2018
Table 35 Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: Value 2013-2018
Table 36 Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 37 Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 38 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Asian Speciality Drinks: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 39 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Asian Speciality Drinks: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 40 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Asian Speciality Drinks: % Value 2014-2018
Table 41 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Asian Speciality Drinks: % Value 2015-2018
Table 42 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: Volume 2018-2023
Table 43 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: Value 2018-2023
Table 44 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 45 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Asian Speciality Drinks: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Bottled Water in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Growth in bottled water derives from health and wellness awareness
Natural mineral bottled water is gaining popularity
Consumer and occasion segmentation contributes to innovation

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Nongfu Spring Co Ltd leads bottled water
Bulk water driven by small local players
Domestic players shape competition

CATEGORY DATA

Table 46 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 47 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 48 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 49 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 50 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 51 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 52 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Value 2014-2018
Table 53 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Value 2015-2018
Table 54 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 55 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 56 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 57 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Carbonates in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Cola carbonates records satisfactory performance
Rising product and flavour innovations in carbonates
Low calorie cola carbonates receive limited attention

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Coca-Cola China Ltd maintains leading position
Local companies are barely present
High concentration evident

CATEGORY DATA

Table 58 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Carbonates: Volume 2013-2018
Table 59 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Carbonates: Value 2013-2018
Table 60 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Carbonates: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 61 Off-trade vs On-trade Sales of Carbonates: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 62 Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 63 Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 64 Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 65 Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 66 Total Sales of Carbonates by Fountain On-trade: Volume 2013-2018
Table 67 Total Sales of Carbonates by Fountain On-trade: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 68 Leading Flavours for Non-cola Carbonates: % Volume 2013-2018
Table 69 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Carbonates: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 70 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Carbonates: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 71 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Carbonates: % Value 2014-2018
Table 72 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Carbonates: % Value 2015-2018
Table 73 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 74 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 75 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 76 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Carbonates by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023
Table 77 Forecast Total Sales of Carbonates by Fountain On-trade: Volume 2018-2023
Table 78 Forecast Total Sales of Carbonates by Fountain On-trade: % Volume Growth 2018-2023

Energy Drinks in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Rising exposure on media and around sports events
Limited drinking occasions slow down growth
Segmentation becomes new growth driver

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Shenzhen Eastroc Beverage Co Ltd records fastest growth
Red Bull continues declining
New energy drinks products spring up

CATEGORY DATA

Table 79 Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: Volume 2013-2018
Table 80 Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: Value 2013-2018
Table 81 Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 82 Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 83 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Energy Drinks: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 84 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Energy Drinks: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 85 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Energy Drinks: % Value 2014-2018
Table 86 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Energy Drinks: % Value 2015-2018
Table 87 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: Volume 2018-2023
Table 88 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: Value 2018-2023
Table 89 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 90 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Energy Drinks: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Juice in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Continuous volume sales decline evident
Coconut and other plant water booms
HPP juice on the rise

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Small manufacturers spring up
Coca-Cola China remains leader in juice

CATEGORY DATA

Table 91 Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 92 Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 93 Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 94 Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 95 Leading Flavours for Off-trade 100% Juice: % Volume 2013-2018
Table 96 Leading Flavours for Off-trade Juice Drinks (up to 24% Juice): % Volume 2013-2018
Table 97 Leading Flavours for Off-trade Nectars (25-99% Juice): % Volume 2013-2018
Table 98 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Juice: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 99 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Juice: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 100 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Juice: % Value 2014-2018
Table 101 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Juice: % Value 2015-2018
Table 102 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 103 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 104 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 105 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Juice by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023

RTD Coffee in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

New players drive innovation of RTD coffee
Speciality RTD coffee and formula upgrade are emerging

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Wei Chuan Foods Corp records fastest growth
Nestlé (China) Ltd maintains dominance by focusing on mass market
Brands from mainland China struggle in RTD coffee

CATEGORY DATA

Table 106 Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: Volume 2013-2018
Table 107 Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: Value 2013-2018
Table 108 Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 109 Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 110 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade RTD Coffee: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 111 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade RTD Coffee: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 112 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade RTD Coffee: % Value 2014-2018
Table 113 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade RTD Coffee: % Value 2015-2018
Table 114 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: Volume 2018-2023
Table 115 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: Value 2018-2023
Table 116 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 117 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Coffee: % Value Growth 2018-2023

RTD Tea in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Key players remain active in RTD tea
Rising awareness of freshness spurs formula improvements and introduction of chilled products
Street kiosks/stalls squeeze RTD tea

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Two leading RTD herbal tea players demonstrate contrasting performance
Vita records most vigorous growth
Master Kong Ice Tea remains bestseller

CATEGORY DATA

Table 118 Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 119 Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 120 Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 121 Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 122 Leading Flavours for Off-trade RTD Tea: % Volume 2013-2018
Table 123 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade RTD Tea: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 124 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade RTD Tea: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 125 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade RTD Tea: % Value 2014-2018
Table 126 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade RTD Tea: % Value 2015-2018
Table 127 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 128 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 129 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 130 Forecast Off-trade Sales of RTD Tea by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Sports Drinks in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Target consumers expanding from professional athletes to general population
Sports drinks gaining share from other soft drinks
Convenience stores and vending machines on the rise

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Leader Guangdong Jianlibao losing share slowly
Pocari Sweat records continuously healthy growth

CATEGORY DATA

Table 131 Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: Volume 2013-2018
Table 132 Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: Value 2013-2018
Table 133 Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 134 Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 135 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Sports Drinks: % Volume 2014-2018
Table 136 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Sports Drinks: % Volume 2015-2018
Table 137 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Sports Drinks: % Value 2014-2018
Table 138 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Sports Drinks: % Value 2015-2018
Table 139 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: Volume 2018-2023
Table 140 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: Value 2018-2023
Table 141 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 142 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Sports Drinks: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Concentrates in China

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Competition from other drinks categories challenges concentrates
Lack of focus leads to stagnant performance

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Mondelez China remains in leading position
Small players target sales in lower-tier cities

CATEGORY DATA

Concentrates Conversions
Summary 2 Concentrates Conversion Factors for ReadytoDrink (RTD) Format
Table 143 Off-trade Sales of Concentrates (RTD) by Category: Volume 2013-2018
Table 144 Off-trade Sales of Concentrates (RTD) by Category: % Volume Growth 2013-2018
Table 145 Off-trade Sales of Concentrates by Category: Value 2013-2018
Table 146 Off-trade Sales of Concentrates by Category: % Value Growth 2013-2018
Table 147 Leading Flavours for Off-trade Liquid Concentrates: % Volume 2013-2018
Table 148 Leading Flavours for Off-trade Powder Concentrates: % Volume 2013-2018
Table 149 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 150 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 151 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Concentrates: % Value 2014-2018
Table 152 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Concentrates: % Value 2015-2018
Table 153 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Liquid Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 154 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Liquid Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 155 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Powder Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2014-2018
Table 156 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Powder Concentrates (RTD): % Volume 2015-2018
Table 157 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Concentrates (RTD) by Category: Volume 2018-2023
Table 158 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Concentrates (RTD) by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023
Table 159 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Concentrates by Category: Value 2018-2023
Table 160 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Concentrates by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023