Focus On Adult Soft Drinks: 7 December

By Harry Holmes holmesharry99@gmail.com

Publishing: 7 December 2024

Advertising deadline: 22 November 2024

Submissions deadline: 19 November 2024

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

Squash is going posh. In an adult soft drinks market that’s seen value growth of just 1.1% on volumes down 3.3%, premium fruit cordials are flying, having grown by 20.8% on volumes up 16.4% [Kantar]. Fruit juices and juice drinks and soda water are the only other drinks in the category to have grown volumes in the past year. What’s behind this growth? What brands and retailers are driving it? And what’s ahead for adult soft drinks market in the coming year?

Alcohol moderation: Key to this feature will be an exploration of the trend for alcohol moderation. Is the number of people drinking less or cutting booze out altogether still growing? What are they drinking instead of alcohol? Which demographics are most likely to be cutting down or not drinking at all? Which is the booziest demographic?

Challenger brands: We will also be exploring how challenger brands are innovating to make their products more appealing in the age of moderation. Which flavour profiles are hot right now? Who has been most active in terms of innovation and how successful have recent launches been? What will be the next big thing?

The market-leaders: Another area of interest, of course, is how the big soft drinks manufacturers are responding to changing consumer demands and stiffening competition with challengers. One brand, for example, has been pushing its premium glass contour bottles in supermarket dine in meal deals; how successful has this been?

Mixers: Adult soft drinks don’t only cover those that are drank as an alternative to alcohol; we will also be looking at those served as an accompaniment. So what trends are shaping the mixers and tonics category right now? Which brands are in strongest growth and decline? And to what extent are such products being used in non-alcoholic serves?

Low and no alcohol: We will also be looking at the market for low and no alcohol beers, wines and spirits. Which brands are in strongest growth and decline? What are they doing to win market share and what’s in store for the coming year?

Innovations: We will profile four new products or ranges, ideally ones that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.