Meanwhile, Pepsi Faces Turbulence in Latest Soda Results at Retail
August 2, 2022
As consumers face unprecedented 40-year-high price inflation for everything from gas to groceries, beverage industry watchers have kept their eyes on an important canary in the coal mine for branded drinks – growth in private label offerings. When consumers’ bank accounts are pressured, they look to lower-priced store brands to stretch the grocery budget. This year had been different, as shoppers for many...
Deal Gives PepsiCo Equivalent of 8.5% Stake in Celsius For $550M
August 2, 2022
PepsiCo will begin transitioning fast-growing fitness energy drink brand Celsius into its US bottling network during the fourth quarter, according to a PepsiCo letter to bottlers yesterday. PepsiCo had announced...
Says $5B in Cash to Be Trained on Targets That Promise ‘Long-Term Profit’
August 2, 2022
A day before transitioning to executive chairman on July 29, Keurig Dr Pepper Chairman and CEO Bob Gamgort updated investors on his upcoming M&A focus as he hands the ...
Store Ad Review: July 4 Promos Strike Balance for Strapped Consumers
July 15, 2022
US Inflation surged by +9.1% during the 12 months ending in June, according to newly released Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the largest year-over-year spike in the consumer price index in more than four...
BlueTriton’s Pure Life Overshadowed by Regional Water Brands. BodyArmor Bucks Pricing Trend. Pricing growth accelerated during the first quarter of 2022 for all major non- carbonated beverage categories tracked by BD, as shown in the table below. Plain bottled water, flavored and enhanced waters, and sports drink all posted volume and dollar sales growth. Pricing gains for ready-to-drink tea and juice drinks were enough to offset declining volume in those categories...
You’ll note an extreme focus on carbonated soft drink pricing in today’s newsletter. That’s because there is no shortage of news, and soft drinks remain a massive and profitable category for US manufacturers and retailers.
On page 7, bottlers discuss the recent Memorial Day holiday weekend and how soda consumers and retailers are responding to higher list prices and fewer “hot” promotional deals. BD shares what we learned from an informal survey. The news so far is positive, even if precarious.
On page 10, we publish our annual soft drink concentrate pricing review, which reflects the inflationary environment facing the industry and its stakeholders. Increases for major soda brands like Coca- Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper as high as...
Private Label CSDs Fails to Make Inroads Amid Inflationary Crisis
June 7, 2022
Private label carbonated soft drinks (CSD) at US retail were unable to make progress in the first quarter of this year even though shoppers are facing unprecedented inflation at the grocery. As shown in the table, Private label CSD dollar sales barely grew in a category that was up more than...
Tapered Deals Haven’t Yet Deterred Soda Consumers, Informal Survey Reveals
June 7, 2022
In an informal BD survey of US beverage bottlers and distributors, Memorial Day holiday pricing was higher than last year as manufacturers and retailers continued to pull back on promotional discounting. Bottlers have faced unprecedented costs this year for everything from labor and transportation to raw materials. One bottler told BD that...