Coke Life, the mid-calorie cola launched by the world’s biggest soft drinks brand in 2014, faces an uncertain future after sales crashed 56% on volumes down 60%.
The Grocer can reveal that Coca-Cola is now axing all but three of the variant’s SKUs - 8-packs of 330ml cans and 1.75-litre and 500ml bottles - and reducing distribution to ‘key outlets’ only.
Life has contributed £14.1m to Coca-Cola’s overall loss of £48.2m [Nielsen 52 w/e 8 October 2016] - the third greatest branded food & drink loss in our 2016 Top Products Survey. Only Coke Zero Sugar is in growth.
Some say Life’s days are numbered. “The value share of Coke Life in the cola sector is now less than 0.5%. Its rate of sale is less than a third of the rate of sale at launch,” said Nielsen senior client services manager Laszlo Zsom. “While the distribution of Coke Life shows a decreasing trend, it is still at a relatively high level, around 60%, so it may be ahead of a longer, gradual phaseout.”
Coca-Cola European Partners changed Life’s recipe in the new year, cutting its sugar content by 15%, yet the reformulation had no impact on the variant’s decline.
“We’ve decided to focus our efforts on continuing to grow Coca-Cola Zero Sugar alongside Coca-Cola Classic and Diet Coke,” said CCEP associate director Ian Ainslie.
“Life was introduced in 2014 to test a lower-sugar option using sweeteners from natural sources and since launch it’s built a small and loyal following in the UK. We’ve therefore decided to focus on a targeted range of pack sizes in key outlets where these consumers shop.”
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