SCOTTISH-based soft drinks firm AG Barr is in no doubt about the importance of the Christmas season to food and drink retailers; it describes the period as “an unmissable sales opportunity”.
“Retailers make more than half of their sales and profit in the three months before Christmas,” said the firm’s head of marketing Adrian Troy, quoting findings from the Centre for Retail Research.
“Getting your offering right is essential at this time of year.
“Soft drinks are key to the profit opportunity, as consumers look to stock up on their favourite brands including Irn-Bru and the Barr range,” he said.
“Carbonates and fruit drinks see the biggest uplifts and large pack formats and multipacks are in particularly high demand as shoppers prepare for family gatherings and parties.”
Irn-Bru the highest-value non-alcohol Scottish brand in Scotland, will be running a major digital campaign this year and will feature special-edition Christmas packs including one for its new sugar-free Irn-Bru Xtra variant.
The brand is also running a Christmas on-pack promotion on its 750ml glass bottles, as part of its sponsorship of Carnival at the SECC in Glasgow.
The company says its Barr range will be ‘fizzing with festive flavour’ this Christmas.
“Lemonade and cola are particular must-stocks at this time of year, lemonade’s share of all soft drinks sales increases by more than two thirds at Christmas and in the two weeks before Christmas there’s an uplift of 60% on cola large PET and 30% on cola multipack cans,” said Troy.
