Take-home market
Despite the poor summer – the prime cause of a 2% slip in sales volume – soft drinks still managed to drive take-home sales value up 2.8% to £6.07bn. This growth was driven by a changing mix, as consumers continued to look for premium and healthier options as well as functional benefits. The industry’s success in meeting these changing demands added more than enough value to offset the drop in volume.
Industry expert
“Soft drinks is by far the biggest impulse category in grocery: at over £6bn it’s about double the nextlargest category, confectionery. So the industry’s response to consumer and regulatory trends really matters to us. The push towards healthier lifestyles is coming from both consumers and regulators, and we’ve been impressed with the way products and brands have been coming through to turn this potential challenge into fresh opportunities to add value.”
Lisa Lennon
Buying Manager
ASDA
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Brands and suppliers
The year’s success stories were the 7% value growth at co-ops and symbols, and 6% growth at convenience stores. Independents maintained steady growth at 4%.
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Market trends
Consumers are taking a broader and more balanced view of health and wellbeing
