Cider maker Matthew Clark is raising the stakes in its battle against premium packaged spirts by extending its Diamond White brand. Diamond Fruzion is the company's latest effort to curb the incursion on its cider business by PPSs. It has already introduced an energy drink variant of White, called Diamond Red, while fellow cider maker Bulmers this summer raised the ante against PPSs by launching Strongbow Spice. It is hoped Fruzion, which is a mix of fruit juice and cider with and abv of 5.4%, could bring the crucial 18 to 24-year-old sector back to cider. The drink is available in two flavours ­ Citrus and Exotic Fruit ­ and is being sold in the off-trade in both 275ml bottles and 440ml cans. Distribution has already been agreed with Somerfield. The PPS sector, led by Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice, has been growing rapidly at the expense of almost all other drinks categories in recent years. The sweet, easy-to-drink products have proved particularly popular with high-spending young consumers ­ a key target for the drinks trade. A spokesman for Matthew Clark said: "In our research, target consumers recognised the association with the Diamond brand and regarded it as a positive. "They were also enthusiastic about the look and taste of Fruzion and said the product shared many of the attributes of popular PPS brands while also offering a point of difference." {{DRINKS }}

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