Soft drinks giant says zesty newcomer will boost sales for retailers
COCA-COLA says it is adding a zesty twist to its Original Taste and Zero Sugar ranges with the launch of a lime-flavoured variant.
It aims to build on the success of Coca-Cola Lemon, which has achieved nearly £20million in value sales since launching early last year.
The soft drinks giant says data shows the flavoured cola segment is growing in popularity with consumers and it believes the newcomer will help retailers to further tap into the trend.
The new flavour is available in 330ml, 500ml, 1.75-litre and 8x330ml formats for Coca-Cola Original Taste, while the Zero Sugar is offered in 500ml, two-litre and 8x330ml sizes.
Price marked single packs will be available in the convenience channel, with the Original Taste 330ml a recommended £1.05, 500ml marked £1.70 and 1.75-litre set at £2.69, while the Zero Sugar 500ml is £1.20 and the two-litre has a £1.99 tag.
Coca-Cola bosses claim statistics show flavoured colas account for 60% of growth in GB’s £2.8billion colas sector. And the popularity of Coca-Cola Lime in other countries indicates it will give the sector a further boost. In testing, more than 50% of consumers said that they would buy it, with nearly 40% saying they’d drink it on top of the soft drinks they already enjoy.
The launch of Coca-Cola Lime will be supported by a multi-million-pound marketing campaign in the weeks ahead, including influencer partnerships, out-of-home marketing, social media and live experiences.
The brand says its growing flavoured colas range is up by more than 15% in value sales against the previous year. The newcomer joins Coca-Cola Original Taste Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry, Coca-Cola Original Taste Lemon, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Lemon and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Vanilla.
Convenience retailers can request POS kits on My.CCEP.com.
Rob Yeomans, vice-president, commercial development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB, said: “We’re excited to bring a slice of lime to the nation’s favourite cola, growing our range with a new flavour – with or without sugar – that we know shoppers love.
“Flavoured colas are also growing ahead of the total cola segment as consumers look for new twists on their favourite drinks. The sub-segment presents a real opportunity for retailers to drive incremental growth, and we’ll be investing in our range throughout 2025 to help them make the most of it.”
