Soft Drinks

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

Energy-boosting drinks have grown in popularity in Europe, as consumers seek functional drinks that can help improve performance, focus and energy levels at work (at home or in the traditional office/workplace) or at the gym. This was accelerated by…

As consumers prepare fewer meals overall, while demanding more assistance for the ones they do, spending and brand equity will accrue to those companies providing fresh prepared meals on demand, from delivery aggregators to retailers, restaurant…

The growing popularity of subscription boxes has led to a rise in M&A activity and funding for subscription box start-ups. Available across industries, they target specific consumer needs through different subscription models: pure convenience,…

Sports drinks continues to recover from the declines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that has been in play since 2022. As the effects of the pandemic have diminished, people have re-engaged in sports activities and are back to using sports…

After experiencing significant off-trade and on-trade volume and current value growth in 2021 and 2022, sports drinks is set to continue to experience dynamic growth in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the health and wellness trend, which…

Sports drinks has shown another solid performance in 2023, with the category poised to record robust growth in off- and on-trade volume sales. Consumption continues to be bolstered by rising participation in sports and fitness activities in the…

The gradual return to pre-pandemic patterns of mobility, including the recovery of gym visits, helped to sustain modest growth in off-trade volume sales of sports drinks in 2023. Growth was further supported by the continued rise in the popularity of…

Off- and on-trade volume sales of sports drinks fell during 2023. The category was hampered by low company engagement and a lack of new launches. Only a few sports drinks were available widely, which also limited purchases of such products. All…

Sports drinks in Spain is set to record a positive year in 2023. This was evidenced by the fact that Aquarius from Cía Servicios de Bebidas Refrescantes SL (Coca-Cola) – the category leader in Spain – reported strong growth in the first months of the…

The growing pursuit of healthier lifestyles has been leading to an increase in sports practice in the country, boosting the consumption of sports drinks. The already prominent health and wellness trend received a boost from the experiences of the…

Sports drinks has been one of the most dynamic categories within soft drinks in Norway with sales posting strong growth in retail volume terms despite the economic pressures facing the country. Sales have benefited from the increased focus on the…

Sports drinks is suffering from cross-category factors which are placing downwards pressure on soft drinks sales overall, leading to a strong off-trade volume slump. To start with, sports drinks is a non-essential category, with products…

Sports drinks remained still quite a small category in Ireland at the end of the review period, but it continued to grow fast in off-trade volume and current value terms. In the wake of the COVID-19 experience, many consumers have shifted towards to…

The sports drinks landscape posted an increase in retail volume during 2023, as sales continued to recover from the losses it saw during COVID-19. However, slow growth is driven by inflationary pressures and the impact on disposable incomes, given…

During the pandemic there was a surge in interest in staying fit and healthy. As part of this trend, endurance sports such as running and cycling gained popularity. This included activities such as trail running and outdoor sports, which saw…

Sports events piled up towards the end of the review period, which was good news for sports drinks at first sight. The men’s FIFA World Cup for football in Qatar at the end of 2022 had a positive impact on the category, with France reaching the final…

Sports drinks in Finland continues to see sales patterns normalise following the COVID-19 pandemic, with steady growth in the off-trade. In 2023, unit prices have continued to rise due to inflation and higher production costs, which has forced…

Sports drinks sales doubled in 2023 as the Prime brand entered the category and introduced reduced sugar products to Denmark. Up until 2023, only regular sports drinks were available in the Danish market. Previously, sports drinks sales were…

Sports drinks continues to show growth in 2023, driven by an increasing demand that aligns with the rising demand for functional beverages. Sports drinks are being perceived as an alternative to functional drinks, an area still underdeveloped in…

COVID-19 boosted consumer's health consciousness and increased attempts to be more proactive about staying healthy and fit. When consumers were able and confident to spend more time away from home, many enhanced exercise routines outdoors and went to…

Demand for soft drinks recorded a spike in the off-trade channel in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions included home seclusion and the closure of on-trade establishments. After two more years of positive volume growth, sales registered a slight decline…

In 2023, retail volume sales of soft drinks registered slower single-digit growth compared to the previous year, as prices continued to climb. The primary factor driving this growth was the increasing availability of diverse soft drinks, such as RTD…

Despite inflation, total volume sales of soft drinks have remained resilient in the United Kingdom. 2022 and 2023 have been challenged by increasing prices, which have had a significant impact on the cost of living. Consumers have lost purchasing…

Following two years of decline, soft drinks in the Netherlands has seen off-trade volume sales tip back into positive territory in 2023, with most categories set to record improved results in this respect. Given the importance of impulse purchases…

The Swiss market for soft drinks saw a marked slowdown in growth in volume terms in 2023, following the buoyant performance of the previous year. The latter was driven largely by an increase in mobility and the recovery of international tourism,…

Overall, off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Sweden were stable at the end of the review period, with only a marginal increase projected over 2023 as a whole. However, this was in part due to a level of stabilisation, following…

For soft drinks in 2023, it is hard to start anywhere other than the impact of the high cost-of-living and the high inflation rate that has characterised much of the year. These factors have translated into sizeable rises in average unit prices…

Despite rising inflation and economic instability, soft drinks recorded heightened volume sales in both the off-trade and on-trade in 2023. On-trade sales were boosted by the return of tourism to the country, while off-trade saw some consumers return…

Sales have continued to normalise in 2023 after the highs of the pandemic when consumers stockpiled supplies of soft drinks. Despite this, sales remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels in retail volume terms, supported by consumers…

Inflationary pressures leading to price rises are placing downwards pressure on off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Italy. Additionally, the poor weather in 2023, especially compared to the heatwaves in 2022, has further suppressed potential…

Soft drinks is projected to see a flat off-trade volume growth performance over 2023. While more established categories like carbonates, concentrates and juice are set to see decreases, perceived healthier bottled water and RTD tea (especially…

In 2023, all product areas posted an increase in retail value sales, due to rising inflation and price hikes. The increase in price points and decline in disposable incomes resulted in consumers adapting their purchasing behaviours, with many…

The German soft drinks industry has suffered multiple crises. After the pandemic hit the on-trade and boosted off-trade sales, inflation has had a severe impact on consumers’ behaviour. In addition to changing consumption behaviour, foodservice…

Soft drinks continued to perform well in total current value terms in France in 2023, though its performance was significantly more muted in volume terms. Volume sales were dampened by the high rate of inflation, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the…

Soft drinks witnessed rising unit prices in 2023, brought about by the still high rate of inflation in Finland and increasing production costs. In the off-trade, current value growth has outperformed volume growth, as consumers have been forced to…

Soft drinks saw moderate volume growth in the Danish market in 2023. Value growth was stronger as inflation and increased costs affected the pricing of soft drink products. However, soft drinks clearly had its winners and losers, with growth rates…

In 2023, off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Belgium experienced a decline. This decrease can be attributed primarily to two significant factors: unfavourable weather conditions and cross-border trade dynamics. The relatively cold and wet…

In 2023, soft drinks volume sales witnessed an ongoing recovery following negative results noted during the outbreak of COVID-19. Consumers continued to spend time outside the home, in foodservice outlets and leisure locations, and this behaviour…

In 2023, RTD tea experienced a sizeable increase in volume sales, with growth reaching double-digits. The upbeat performance can be attributed to the perception of RTD tea as a healthier alternative to carbonated beverages. These beverages resonate…

Following strong positive performances in 2021 and 2022, ready to drink (RTD) tea is set to continue to experience double-digit growth in current value sales both off-trade and on-trade in 2023. Due to a longer and warmer summer in 2022, RTD tea…

RTD tea has shown another positive performance in 2023, with off-trade volume growth set to surpass that recorded in 2022 and growth in on-trade volume sales remaining robust despite slowing due to the ongoing normalisation of foodservice consumption…

Despite the category’s maturity, RTD tea sales continued to expand in off-trade volume terms in 2023, thanks to its perception as a healthier alternative to other types of soft drinks, especially carbonates, thanks to its relatively low sugar…

RTD tea is projected to see an overall decline in off-trade volume sales over 2023. This is due to the performance of the dominant category, still RTD tea, with both regular and reduced sugar formats seeing a dip in demand. However, this is in…

A great deal of positivity surrounds the RTD tea category in Spain, and it is set to see another year of off-trade and on-trade volume and value growth in 2023. An indication of this positivity came in 2023 with the launch of Fuze Tea by Cía…

With high per capita consumption in the country, RTD tea grew in both off-trade and on-trade volume sales over 2023 despite losing share to other soft drinks categories. While the recovery of the tourism industry boosts on-trade, off-trade records a…

RTD tea has continued to post moderate growth in off-trade volume terms in 2023. Much of the RTD tea sold in Norway is for out of home consumption. As a result, sales have benefitted from the return of busy lifestyles in the post-pandemic period. The…

Despite showing competition to concentrates, RTD tea is also facing competition from other soft drinks categories, notably energy drinks for example. Added to which, RTD tea has seen steep price increases, thus placing further downwards pressure on…

RTD tea is projected to continue to post off- and on-trade volume growth over 2023, albeit at much slower rates than in 2022. Both still and carbonated RTD tea continued to see volume growth at the end of the review period. Still RTD tea has enjoyed…