Courtesy of BevNet.net
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Nielsen Data: Sparkling Waters & Functional Beverage Grow as Soda Pop Declines
Strong numbers for energy drinks and water fueled a 5 percent increase in total snack and non-alcoholic beverage sales during a four-week period ending on July 14, according to a report on Nielsen all-channel data by Wells Fargo Securities.
Energy drink sales grew 6.8 percent overall during the period, with Red Bull and Monster (excluding the Mutant soda line) posting increases of 7.2 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively. Several Monster SKUs saw significant gains: Monster Ultra (13.3 percent), Java Monster (28.1 percent), and Monster Hydro (51.3 percent) were dwarfed by Caffe Monster, which reported over 1000 percent sales growth over the four-week period and retail sales of $22 million over a 52-week period ending on July 14.
Meanwhile, sales of Rockstar continue to slide, falling -6.4 percent across all channels during the four weeks and down -5.0 percent over a 12-week period. Energy drinks from PepsiCo were down -13.8 percent, and Starbucks Doubleshot sales dropped -1.3 percent.
Both sparkling (18.6 percent) and still (11.6 percent) flavored waters also enjoyed robust sales in July. National Beverage led the way with 29.8 percent growth in sales in the four-week period against an average price decrease of -3.0 percent. LaCroix saw sales of its flavored water jump 34.1 percent and its dollar share of the sparkling water category rise 19.1 percent as well. PepsiCo’s unflavored seltzer line Bubly, launched earlier this year, also indicated it may be gathering momentum by posting a 4.3 percent increase in dollar share.
In still flavored water, San Francisco-based Hint, which recently opened its first brick-and-mortar location, reported a 120.9 percent sales increase, up 124.2 percent over 12 weeks. Staying in the category, Nestle Splash (33.8 percent), Propel (21.9 percent) and kids brand Good2Grow (45.6 percent) weighed positively against drops for Sobe (-24.9 percent) and Neuro (-17.0 percent).
Overall carbonated soft drink (CSD) sales during the period were generally flat, up just 0.8 percent. Amongst the major manufacturers, Coca-Cola (up 3.4 percent in total beverage sales) led the way with 2.9 percent increase in CSD dollar sales, with 3.1 percent average price growth. While regular CSDs grew only 1.6 percent, Coke’s low calorie soft drink sales rose 5.8 percent thanks to a 18.1 percent increase for Coca-Cola Zero.
Elsewhere, PepsiCo reported a drop of 1.1 percent in dollar sales of CSDs as volumes fell 2.8 percent. Mountain Dew and Pepsi both underperformed, dropping 2.0 percent and 2.5 percent in sales, respectively. However, total beverage and snack sales for PepsiCo rose 2.0 percent during the period.
For the recently merged Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), the outsized performance of several allied brands have helped to balance slower growth in other categories. Sales of Bai (up 15.2 percent) helped drive a 7.5 percent increase in sales for KDP’s shelf-stable juices and drinks, while BodyArmor sales were up 110.6 percent. CSDs rose just 1.1 percent, with teas up 1.9 percent.
Finally, liquid tea and coffee each had contrasting performances during the four-week period. Overall coffee sales were up 7.5 percent, led by Coke (28.0 percent) and Rockstar (24.2 percent). While Starbucks easily led the way with 117.7 percent dollar sales growth, Califia Farms also reported a 33 percent increase. In tea, overall sales fell 0.1 percent, with Arizona (1.1 percent), Pure Leaf (0.5 percent) and Brisk (1.5 percent) all seeing drops.
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