Soft-drinks maker Britvic says that Pepsi Max has experienced strong sales growth in the UK, ending 2017 with a record high market share.
It added that the no-sugar beverage was the core focus of all Pepsi advertising in the country last year, responding to growing consumer demand for low-sugar products.
"This is a key moment for Pepsi Max, which has been consistently taking market share, in a growing category, for many years now," said Paul Graham, GB managing director at Britvic.
"With consumers increasingly seeking great tasting no and low-sugar options, it is great to see how successfully Pepsi Max is taking advantage of that trend, through new flavour innovations and bold campaigns."
Britvic says that it is committed to providing consumers with healthier choices, and that the business is 'well-positioned' ahead of the Soft Drinks Sugar Levy, which is set to be introduced in the UK this April.
The company has an exclusive agreement with PepsiCo to produce and sell its brands in the UK and Ireland, including Pepsi Max, Tango, 7Up and Lipton Ice Tea.
Business Growth
Last week, Britvic reported that sales increased 3.3% to £337.2 million in the first quarter of the year.
In spite of this value growth, however, the company saw volume sales decline across all business regions, with the exception of Ireland (+0.2%) and Brazil (+23.1%), which were both boosted by acquisitions.
Simon Litherland, the group's chief executive, described this as a "solid start to the new financial year."
"Our continued focus on revenue and cost management and the delivery of the final phase of our business capability programme means we remain confident of making further progress in 2018," he added.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
