Pandemic Stock Up Boosts Water, Sports Drinks, Tea in Q1
June 9, 2020
The US bottled water, tea and sports drink categories all gained volume and dollars during the first quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic spurred consumers to stock up late in the period. As shown in the Green Sheet included with this issue, the
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets hosted a global consumer and retail conference on May 27-28. Beverages analyst Nik Modi interviewed leaders from Keurig Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola and Primo Water (formerly Cott). The following is a synopsis of shifts in short-term and long-term trends seen by the executives.
Sparkling water volume and dollar growth each reach +15% or more in the first quarter of this year as Coca-Cola increased its presence. Coke’s new Aha, launched in March, grabbed almost...
Coca-Cola Consolidated said it will begin construction this month on a $55 million, 400,000-square-foot automated warehouse and distribution center in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. That will free up space
Starting this weekend, Monster Beverages will be free to sell everything from soft drinks to bottled waters outside the Coke system anywhere in the world, including in the US. The contractual waypoint has set off speculation...
US Non-Alcoholic Beverage Industry Flexed Pricing Muscle Last Year
June 1, 2020
Annually, BD publishes estimated volume and value sales data for US liquid refreshment beverages (LRB) and carbonated soft drinks (CSD). The data included in this special issue estimates beverage consumption for all measured and unmeasured channels, including packaged retail, fountain and vending. Data for juice, tea, coffee and dairy categories focus on single-serve, direct-store-delivered beverages and generally do not include warehouse-delivered or refrigerated products by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper. CSD estimates in this report include traditional soft drinks and energy drinks, which are both carbonated and share similar manufacturing and distribution methods. The fountain channel includes everything from restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell, to sports venues.
PepsiCo has pushed deeper into ecommerce with two new direct-to-consumer websites selling core brands from Doritos to Gatorade. The websites are the product of a dedicated PepsiCo operating team of tech experts in Manhattan that are chasing consumer demand for online convenience. Industry watchers and PepsiCo bottlers are privately asking whether PepsiCo’s retail partners such as Walmart will view the direct-to-consumer initiative as a competitive threat. In addition, it appears PepsiCo won’t owe invasion fees to the company’s independent bottlers for products sold direct to consumers, which could create tension...
On April 28, PepsiCo announced an exclusive agreement with Vital Pharmaceuticals to distribute Bang Energy in the US (BD News Alert 4/28/20). The alliance gives PepsiCo access to a brand that has surpassed Rockstar as the third largest energy drink, and to a performance energy category that has attracted new competitors including...
As April came to a close amid the COVID-19 crisis, BD spoke to beverage bottlers about their expectations for the rest of the year. Here are a few observations based on those discussions...