Soft Drinks

Sports drinks in the United Arab Emirates remains a young category with further high growth potential following its dynamic performance in 2022 and 2023. The concept of fitness, increasingly integrated into consumers’ lifestyles, has only emerged…

Bottled water remains by far the largest category of soft drinks in Saudi Arabia with increasing numbers of consumers switching to bottled water. Although tap water in the Kingdom is said to be safe to drink many people prefer to use bottled water,…

The hot weather in Saudi Arabia continues to support sales of carbonates, with sales also benefiting from the large number of consumers aged under 30, who are a key target audience for these products. Despite this, consumers in Saudi Arabia continue…

Vimto (from Aujan Industries Co Ltd) continues to lead liquid concentrates and concentrates overall in Saudi Arabia. The brand saw the launch of Vimto Cordial Zero in 2022, which is sugar-free and contains zero calories, alongside containing no…

Sales of energy drinks continue to decline in off-trade volume terms. Energy drinks incur a 100% “sin tax” in Saudi Arabia, while there are also other initiatives and restrictions aimed at discouraging the consumption of such products with the…

Saudi Arabia’s hot climate ensures there remains a healthy demand for juice in the Kingdom. However, the performances of the different juice categories have been varied in 2023 with demand increasingly being shaped by the growing focus on healthy…

Sales of RTD coffee rose sharply from a low base over the review period with locals becoming increasingly aware of these products and sales have continued to see dynamic growth in 2023 in off- and on-trade volume terms. Starbucks Iced Coffee has…

RTD tea is a relatively niche category in Saudi Arabia with it being the smallest soft drinks category in retail volume terms in 2023. Nonetheless, the category has continued to post strong growth both through the off- and on-trade channels. The…

Sales of soft drinks have continued to see healthy growth in retail volume and value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from a booming economy. Furthermore, the country’s hot climate means there is a constant demand for soft drinks. Saudi Arabia…

The Saudi government is focusing on promoting sports across the Kingdom with it aiming to encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles through its Quality of Life programme, which is one of its Vision 2030 initiatives. It is paying great attention…

At the end of 2021, a new law went into effect requiring a deposit of ILS0.3 for all bottles of 1.5 litres and above. This had a direct impact on prices of water in 2022, as 1.5 litres is a very popular size for water bottles. After the tax on…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was removed at the end of March 2023, as a result of opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community. The Ministry of Health required retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax being removed, with the…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was removed at the end of March 2023, with the Ministry of Health requiring retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax being removed. The removal of the tax led to the lowering of prices in the…

Prime energy drink entered the Israeli market in 2023. Due to its popularity on TikTok, the drink has been very popular from the start. The strong role of social media in the brand’s expansion – and, indeed, its development, in which the YouTube…

Opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community led to the tax on all sweetened beverages being removed at the end of March 2023. The ultra-Orthodox community includes many heavy users of sugary and artificially sweetened carbonates, along with…

In 2023, the Israeli supermarket chain, Shufersal, launched its own line of RTD coffee. The private label coffee contains fresh milk, like Tnuva’s launch of Ice Coffee in a cup, and the retailer advertises that it uses 100% Arabica beans. Shufersal…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was removed at the end of March 2023. With the government claiming that it was looking to lower the cost of living for locals, the Ministry of Health required retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax…

Soft drinks saw rising demand in 2023 despite challenges such as the weak exchange value of the dinar and a lack of structure in the industry. Population growth and the youth of Iraq’s population are major reasons for rising demand in carbonates,…

The ultra-Orthodox community expressed annoyance with the tax placed on sweetened soft drinks on 1 January 2022. With a tax on plasticware also in place, this community believed that these measures were weighted against lower socioeconomic groups,…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was withdrawn at the end of March 2023 and the Ministry of Health required retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax being removed. The removal of the tax, which was marketed as lowering the cost of…