Villa Soft Drinks Hadrian Spring Water Company 9/10 Parsons Road Parsons Industrial Estate Washington NE37 1HB Tel: 0191 4178822 Fax: 0191 4188800 Website: www.hadrianclear.com Key CONTACTS Managing director Martin Fenwick Sales & marketing manager John Sutton Director of buying & development Martin Fairless Brand manager Paul Bradbury Key Brands · Hadrian Clear · Hadrian Spring · Gizza Squeeze · Mr Fenwick's · Gizzmo and Villa As the organic sector continues to put pressure on mainstream drinks manufacturers, the battle is hotting up to find a niche of one's own. "The difficulty for the mainstream is the temptation to push anything that might be organic," says Paul Bradbury brand manager for Villa Soft Drinks' Hadrian Clear which contains no added sugar and is made from natural fruit flavours and spring water. "Hybrid organic drinks, which may contain organic fruit, but at the same time contain sweeteners, can be seen to be deceiving the consumer. The question also needs to be asked, how can water be organic when it can be extracted from a vast area of land, which may have been treated in the past? The manufacturers need to ensure they are 100% organic if they are channelling their marketing down that sector; otherwise it's time to push the product positives and create niches of your own." Organics aside, the focus of advertising in soft drinks has shifted dramatically over the last 12 months, with several leading water brands spending heavily on advertising across all media. Distribution channels have also witnessed expansion ­ especially where a demand exists for drinks with healthy attributes, such as in health clubs, leisure centres and, increasingly, in schools. The functionality of the packaging has also been significantly developed, as shown by the growth of sports caps, mainly adopted to the benefit of still waters, although demand is growing for its application in carbonates. "Bottled waters can not only sustain but also increase their market share by continuing to promote their lighter side, as well as increasing the individual characteristics of their water, such as the calcium content or their sodium content," says Bradbury who will oversee the relaunch of the Hadrian Clear brand this December. "Packaging is also very important in this sector, as proved by the continued success of the sports cap. Since launching our 500ml Hadrian Spring Still water with sports cap in June, sales have grown considerably," he says. "New flavours, such as Mango & Guava, and Pineapple & Passionfruit will, we believe, also help grow the market." Diluting the value Bottled waters continue to show exponential growth, but dilutables need to take a long, cool look at their future, says Bradbury. "The danger for dilutables is that when there is limited competition, due to the stranglehold of a small number of manufacturers in the market, an uncompetitive sector develops with high prices, low product initiative and an unattractive purchase for the consumer. To compete, there needs to be a new market entrant, who can compete efficiently with the existing suppliers and who will create a sector growing sales through greater initiatives and strong price competitiveness." Water on the web Bradbury believes soft drinks manufacturers still have some way to go in developing their e-commerce facilities, and maximising the advantage available to them through the internet, for example, website links between sites. An increase in working relationships between manufacturers and retailers can, he believes, only benefit the market. "Our recently formed website, www.hadrianclear.com, providing information for both the trade and consumers alike, also provides an ordering facility for buyers. "A question which needs to be answered by manufacturers, is whether there is a need for two separate sites, one targeting the trade, and one which is consumer friendly, promoting the brands to the end users." {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}