The £2.5bn sports drink brand Gatorade is making its first aggressive push into UK retail as PepsiCo looks to take on rival Coke's Powerade.

Reformulated versions of its orange and lemon flavours make their global debut in the UK next month supported by a £5m spend.

Manufactured under licence by Britvic, their launch follows Gatorade's strategic entrance into the UK in 2005 through the vending market across the leisure and sports sectors.

The free-from range, containing no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, is aimed at consumers who are concerned about the ingredients in sports drinks.

"Our research indicates that consumers perceive sports drinks as too artificial," said Britvic marketing dirctor Simon Stewart. "The opportunity to provide a sports drink that can better meet consumer health demands is significant.

"With its new formulation, Gatorade provides a unique offering to the big players in the market and will unlock considerable potential in sports drinks."

Although Stewart would not give sales targets, he said he hoped the brand would become as market- leading as it is in other countries.

The Gatorade campaign will comprise outdoor, press and online ads, focusing on supporting athletes at key sporting events across the UK in 2008.

"With Gatorade now tapping into the growing preference for functional drinks and natural ingredients, we are confident it will make a strong impact on the UK market," said Stewart.

The lines, available in single and four-pack 500ml PET bottles, come in a sports cap with an ergonomically designed bottle to fit in the hand while exercising.

Their launch comes as GlaxoSmithKline announced this week that Lucozade was its star performer, with sales up 16%. The two bestselling Lucozade brands are worth £314m, up 15% [Nielsen, 52 w/e 6 October 2007].

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola, which recently launched Orange Powerade with a £1.5m ad spend, said the overall brand's sales were up 35% to £33m.

Sports drinks is one of the fastest-growing sub-categories in the UK with sales up 26% to £168m [Nielsen, 52 w/e 9 February].

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