Cabana and Ben Shaws post-mix brands ditched, as part of Nichols restructure

It has unveiled a new eponymous range of 33 products in its place, which will include a cola, a lemonade, an orange juice and a ginger beer that are available from this week (6 May).

The new range comprises fewer SKUs, fewer recipes, improved quality and reduced waste, which will allow the business to increase investment in innovation and support for national accounts, company head Mark Haselden told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.

“The new range includes some of the most popular bag-in-box products on the market and we want to build on this core range with new and exciting products that meet market trends and support the trade,” he said.

Streamline​

The company changed its name to Nichols Dispense earlier this year, following the acquisition of two distribution firms in the south, and brought its Festival Soft Drinks arm, and its Scottish Cariel Soft Drinks business, under the same name.

Haselden said he wanted to, “streamline” the business to give it one “clear, national identity.”

“The business has acquired a number of dispense companies and brands over the years, enabling us to build distribution and reach to become one of the biggest suppliers of bag- in-box products in the country.

“We’ve now completed a major task to consolidate the business and streamline our offering to give us one, clear national identity under Nichols Dispense.”

Other brands, such as Vimto, Irn Bru and Pepsi, will continue to be distributed by the company.

Last month Britvic launched details of its new dispense initiatives to boost Pepsi post-mix sales​.