The cola opportunity

The soft drinks category is worth a staggering £2.3bn to the symbols and independents channel[1], appearing in 1 in 4 shopper baskets[2]. Cola plays a big part in this category, with 73% of consumers buying into it every year[3]. Retailers therefore must ensure they are setting up their soft drinks fixtures right and aligning with key trends to help support sales. From stocking the right ranges, to providing a variety of choices, formats and variants, Pepsi Max has been on a mission to support retailers in maximising their soft drinks offering.

Thirsty for More?

Earlier this year, Pepsi celebrated its complete rebrand by supporting convenience retailers with the launch of its exclusive Thirsty for More competition for the Pepsi Max brand. Searching for five retailers who were ‘Thirsty for More’, the brand set out to reward these ambitious retailers who lead by example and work tirelessly to stand out from the crowd. Through this, four hard-working retailers were selected to win a £250 cash prize to fuel their passion, alongside exclusive Pepsi Max merchandise, with a fifth retailer being selected as Pepsi Max’s standout winner.

Supplier support is key

This standout retailer also received a one-to-one visit from a member of Britvic’s category team, to help them ensure they are making the most of the soft drinks category in their store.

That standout retailer was Parminder Sidhu, based in Wolverhampton at her family run convenience store, S.S. Sidhu. S.S. Sidhu has been undergoing a refurbishment since the beginning of the year, so Pepsi Max wanted to ensure that the store visit would support Parminder and her family in making the most of their new space and soft drinks chiller.

Supplier Viewpoint – Hugo Orange, Category Executive at Britvic: “Supporting and maintaining relationships with retailers remains incredibly important to us, to help grow the booming cola segment and support retailers in tapping into this opportunity. The cola segment is worth £480m[4] to the symbols and independents channels, so retailers must ensure they are leveraging our Pepsi brands and merchandising correctly in order to see sales success. It was really inspiring to meet a retailer as ambitious as Parminder last month and support her in achieving this. We look forward to supplying her with a bespoke planogram when her new chiller is up and running, and seeing how this helps the store to maximise its soft drinks sales.”

Retailer Viewpoint – Parminder Sidhu, Retailer at S.S. Sidhu: “I saw the Pepsi Max competition online and I immediately knew I had to enter. Our store already does very well with Pepsi, so I wanted to see how the brand could support us in further improving our range. We were super grateful to have been selected as the standout winner. The store visit from Hugo was incredibly useful, I walked him through our current and future fixtures, and he gave some insightful advice on the type of range we should be offering and how best to merchandise it. As part of our refurbishment, we are installing a new, bigger chiller, so we’re excited to receive our planogram from the Pepsi Max team to see how we can make the most of it.”

Top tips for maximising your cola sales

• Ensure that there is a sufficient variation of cola drinks available, including Pepsi diet and Max. Additionally, Pepsi leads the market in sugar free flavours, with its flavours portfolio being worth £17.6M to the symbols and independents channel[5]. Therefore, also offering cola flavours such as Pepsi Max Mango will help cater to all preferences. These can also be placed on gondola ends and fast lane checkout areas to attract a customer’s attention and increase impulse buys
• Streamline your shelf space and chiller by grouping similar products together – for example, placing Pepsi Max Lime and Pepsi Max Cherry side by side to offer choice. Make sure logos are facing forward, as this creates a more cohesive look that makes it easier for shoppers to navigate
• Know your events and make sure you are aware of upcoming events, including key sports events, bank holidays and seasonal occasions. Ensure you are prepared with the right cola range and enough stock to keep up with demand, catering for all demographics. This includes offering a range of formats, in particular larger sharing 2l bottle formats, for those looking to stock up ahead of celebrations and big nights in with friends and family
• Know which cola variations are most popular with your shoppers, from core Pepsi offerings to exciting limited-edition new product development such as Pepsi Electric blue cola, as customers are more likely to abandon their entire purchase if the product they want is not in stock
• Ensure your store layout is easy to navigate so customers can find their way to where the soft drinks are located, which will create a better overall shopping experience. This can be amplified with eye-catching Point Of Sale (POS) from Britvic’s At Your Convenience platform, to grab shopper attention and signpost your cola offering.

Want to find out more about how you can maximise the cola segment in your store? Head over to Britvic’s At Your Convenience website for more industry insights and exclusive offers.

[1]Nielsen NIQ | Total Soft Drinks | Total Symbols & Independents | Value Sales | L52 wks to 05.10.2024

[2]Lumina Convenience Tracking Programme | Total Symbols & Indies | L52 wks to to 15.09.2024

[3]Kantar World Panel TH | Total Cola | Total Stores| l52 wks to 01.09.2024

[4]Nielsen NIQ | Total Cola | Total Symbols & Independents | Value Sales | L52 wks to 07.09.2024

[5] Nielsen NIQ | Total Symbols & Independents (or Total coverage) | Value Sales | L52WKS to 05.10.2024