Britvic to introduce PET J2O bottles

Britvic is to introduce non-glass packaging for its J2O juice brand as it looks to innovate in the on-trade.

Both the apple & mango and orange & passionfruit flavours will be rolled out in PET bottles and be made available for pubs, nightclubs and restaurants that are looking for no-glass options.

"With a greater variety of drinking occasions outside of the more traditional pubs, and bars and consumers now trading up to packaged soft drinks, the new bottle will broaden J2O's offering in adult social drinking occasions," explained Britvic's category director, Andrew Marsden.

"Quality remains key to consumers and these bottles give them the choice of a credible, premium soft drink wherever they are socialising," he added.

To aid consumer recognition, the plastic J2O bottles have exactly the same shape as the glass 275ml version but hold 330ml of the still juice-based drink. They come with a plastic screw cap and have a six-month shelf life.

"Britvic is committed to offering drinkers choice and bringing innovation to its own portfolio," said Mr Marsden. "The new bottle will drive J2O sales to loyal consumers and introduce new drinkers to the brand, creating incremental profit for our customers."

There have been several recent examples of brewers using PET technology for their bottled brands. For example, last summer Coors Brewers announced it was to make Coors Fine Light lager available in PET bottles.