Soft Drinks

More hectic and on-the-go lifestyles as consumers resumed work, social and travel norms, as the threat of COVID-19 and related restrictions were lifted, stimulated a demand for RTD coffee. However, demand limitation barriers arose in the form of the…

Coffee consumption has been soaring in Romania, with a strong performance both in the online and the offline. In the context of a growing coffee culture in the country, RTD coffee registered another year of strong volume growth. The performance is…

Value sales are still low for RTD coffee in Croatia, in what is an emerging product area. In 2023, RTD coffee is expected to register moderate volume growth, though continuing rising prices dampen volume growth to an extent, especially as many of RTD…

The competition from cheaper drinks alternatives, such as flavoured bottled water and non alcoholic beer, was increasingly felt by juice in Slovakia towards the end of the review period. This was because the typical Slovak consumer was increasingly…

Juices continued outperforming carbonates in 2023, which are regarded as a healthier alternative. However, with rising levels of inflation and unit price increases, many Romanian consumers migrated to private labels. The juice category is becoming…

Stanic, with its To and Juicy brands, continues to lead current value and retail volume sales of juice in 2023, with consumers seeing the brands as good price/quality combinations. Second-leading player Vindija also maintains a double-digit value…

Unfavourable weather in spring and summer 2023 restricted the growth potential of energy drinks in both the retail and foodservice channels. In addition, weak purchasing power continued to limit local consumers’ ability to spend on relatively…

As interest in more active lifestyle grows, and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has increased movement, energy drinks has seen a positive performance in 2023. Aggressive promotion, both offline and online, is also contributing positively to the…

Energy drinks is expected to be the best performing soft drink in terms of volume growth in 2023. Energy drinks are particularly popular among the under 25 age group and are widely consumed at festivals and parties. It is also popular as a cocktail…

Liquid concentrates maintained a larger market size than powder concentrates, underpinned by a stronger retail presence and heavier marketing support. Highlighting the advantages of liquid concentrates, such as ease-of-use and flavour variety, has…

Concentrates saw low levels of volume growth in 2023, being a mature landscape with little room for growth. In addition, due to sugar content, concentrates are not always perceived as healthy products, and the rising interest in health and wellness…

Concentrates account for significant volume sales in Croatia, though it is a mature product area which has seen limited growth over the review period. In 2023, concentrates is expected to register muted volume growth, with the product area…

The demand for carbonates was negatively impacted by a cool early summer and cold weather in spring 2023. A further decrease in off-trade volume sales can partly be attributed from the recovery of the on-trade channel, which caused a shift in the…

Carrying the stigma of being unhealthy, off-trade sales of carbonates continued to decline in 2023. However, the on-trade channel has continued to record a positive performance, recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with consumers enjoying their…

Carbonates is expected to register only marginal volume growth in 2023. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population continues to decline. Some consumers are also switching to other…

The demand for bottled water continued to suffer during 2023, as unfavourable weather conditions and weak purchasing power negatively impacted volume consumption. This was mostly visible in retail, as foodservice saw a late and slow recovery from the…

In 2023, the main drivers of growth for the bottled water landscape were consumers' reluctancy to drink tap water and the tradition of mineral water in the country. Nevertheless, the declining purchasing power in 2023 was reflected in a slowdown of…

Bottled water is expected to register positive volume growth in 2023. Though tap water is of good quality in Croatia, bottled water is often purchased on-the-go, as well as by tourists. In addition, a certain cohort of consumers are switching to…

Sports drinks is expected to register the highest volume growth among all sports drinks in 2023. That being said, this growth is from a very low base. With consumers increasingly looking to be healthier and more active, this is driving volume growth…

Overall, soft drinks is expected to register a minimal increase in retail volume sales. Continuing population decline dampens volume sales, as well as inflation, though price growth has eased. Growth is also muted through foodservice channels.