Britvic may enter the energy sector
Britvic is considering adding an energy drink to its expanding portfolio after the acquisition of Orchid Drinks earlier this month. Adult soft drink brands such as Aqua Libra, Amé fruit and spring water blend and Purdey's functional drink, previously sold mostly in the off-trade, will be added to the Britvic Soft Drinks stable and actively promoted to pubs as a result of the deal. But the arrival of a stimulation product such as Purdey's does not rule out further energy drink launches, which Britvic and rival Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) have been considering for some time. "You never know," said marketing director Andrew Marsden. "It is a market we are watching very closely, and it is ripe for further development — the amount of real choice in the sector is pretty limited." Marsden added: "The Orchid products are a good fit with our existing portfolio, and match exactly with what we are trying to do regarding consumption of soft drinks by adults." One of the key parts of Britvic's Right Choice strategy has been to make soft drinks more appealing to adults visiting pubs. This has included the development of fruit juice blend J2O, the upsizing of Britvic 55 and the introduction of the Ruby's range of sparkling cranberry drinks which are specifically aimed at women. Orchid was formed in a management buy-out of the soft drinks arm of Camerons brewery in Hartlepool. The company grew to an estimated retail value of its brands of £16million, with year-on-year value growth of 28 per cent. "Orchid has been tremendously successful, but distribution has been primarily through multiple retailers," said Britvic managing director Stephen Davies. "Britvic is strong in all sectors of the soft drinks market and has the expertise to further develop the brands." Coca-Cola is to be advertised in Welsh for the first time, with bilingual posters set to be put up at 500 sites in North Wales. A spokesman for CCE said the company wanted to be part of the Welsh people and their culture.
