Cola and carbonated drinks prices

Behind the numbers

Soft drinks are worth £10.6bn, and are growing by 10%. It is also the third-most-valuable category to independent retailers, with colas and carbonates a crucial contributor, but where can retailers maximise their profits?

As in last year’s Pricewatch data, Coca- Cola Original Taste 330ml and 500ml are the standouts. Seventy-eight per cent charge up to £1.60 on the 330ml format – almost double the most-common price of 85p, and 10p higher than last year’s highest price – compared with 19% sticking to the most-common price. The 30% charging £1.39 for the 500ml bottle could boost profits, as 66% are selling it for as much as £1.99, a 60p increase. Unlike the 330ml can, this price ceiling has carried over from 2022.

Elsewhere, other carbonate impulse formats offer less flexibility. For instance, 91% sell Diet Coke 330ml at its most-common price of £1.15, while 92% stick to Fanta Lemon 500ml’s most-common price of £1.79.