The convenience channel is going from strength to strength, with soft drink sales growing by 15.3% to £3.3bn in 2023, while volumes were up by 3.0% and units increased by 3.3%.
This is according to Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2024, which paints a positive picture that is set to continue, highlighting that nearly two-thirds (60%) of people now use c-stores, with the majority of those shoppers being younger and more affluent families, increasing share and driving up basket size and spend.
The report indicates that these consumer behaviour shifts and the changing commercial climate are presenting new opportunities for convenience retailers and driving continued growth for soft drinks, which is now the most bought impulse category in convenience, present in just over one in four baskets (26.1%).
Britvic notes that forecourts are one of the key driving forces behind the growth of the channel, with total sales (of all goods and fuel) through forecourts growing by 2.8% to £4.6bn in 2023. The forecourt sector has moved on from purely fuelling vehicles and selling quick drinks and bites to eat on the go. The report highlights that new opportunities present themselves when it comes to dwell time of those charging electric vehicles, with this only set to grow.
Consumers are also visiting forecourts for a wider variety of reasons, such as buying meals for later and top-up shops. The report also found that soft drinks, which bought on more than a quarter (29.5%) of forecourt visits, are an engine of growth for the subchannel. Britvic calculates that by raising that number to one in every three baskets, sites can unlock an opportunity worth £36m. That’s more than £4,900 a year in additional sales per forecourt outlet.
“There’s no denying the important role soft drinks are playing in the convenience sector,” commented Ben Parker, retail commercial director at Britvic. “But it’s crucial that retailers have a solid understanding of the fundamental reasons why people are buying soft drinks. Only then will we together be able to fully tap into the opportunities on offer through soft drinks and reap the rewards.”
He added: “Take forecourts for instance, an area within convenience which is changing beyond recognition. Despite soft drinks driving significant growth within that sector, there are still a number of opportunities that are ripe for the taking for those in the know. Research shows, for example, that people are twice as likely to be looking for an energy boost in forecourts than they are when they visit outlets in the wider convenience retail sector. Despite this, the number of shoppers who buy energy drinks from forecourts remains surprisingly low, with only 2.1% of forecourt shoppers currently buying them. There’s an opportunity here for the taking.”
More broadly, across convenience, stimulant energy delivered growth worth £181.5m last year. It was the second fastest growing sub-sector at 23.7%, behind sports drinks which grew at 64.6% and took fifth place in the list of best-selling subcategories in convenience. Stimulant energy remains number one, the appeal of these to attract more people and to encompass a greater variety of consumption occasions will deliver more growth. Britvic noted that championing sugar-free energy drinks, merchandising them in prime impulse spots in-store and linking with social media to engage consumers will also play a key role.
Parker said “Demand for products perceived as being more natural or less processed is on the rise too. More than a third (34%) of people who do not consume energy drinks say there should be more natural alternatives available. We see significant potential in homebound post-work journeys and evening consumption for more natural energy drinks containing less or no caffeine, such as our Purdey’s Natural Energy Drinks, a range of sparkling fruit juice blends enriched with botanicals and B vitamins. We’ve also worked to ensure our Rockstar Energy core range is HFSS compliant, and we’ve introduced no sugar variants to help further broaden the appeal of stimulant energy.”
Another key trend highlighted in Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2024 is the growing proportion of people buying breakfast while travelling or commuting. In fact, 10% of all food-to-go missions in forecourts are for breakfast (double the number in wider convenience). A fifth (20%) of food-to-go new product development launched in the first quarter of 2024 was for breakfast.
“It’s promising to see more occasions opening up to the convenience retailers, such as breakfast,” said Parker. “It’s now about capitalising on those opportunities, while futureproofing ranges to ensure there is a strong pull for the younger generation of shoppers coming into the channel.
“We’re continuing to support retailers in doing this with activities such as the 2023 collaboration between Rockstar Energy and global rap superstar Stormzy, and this year’s partnership with Live Nation. Innovation and limited-edition flavours also go down well with this demographic and play a key role in generating excitement. Our limited-edition Tango flavours are a prime example of this. Last year, we launched Tango Editions Sugar Free Paradise Punch to build on the success of 2022 Tango Editions Sugar Free Berry Peachy. This paid off, with Tango Editions Sugar Free Paradise Punch named the third biggest NPD of 2023, generating sales worth £4.2m for the convenience channel. This year’s launches, Tango Cherry Blast, Raspberry Blast and Tango Editions Mango, are set for similar success.”
While soft drinks are identified as the most bought impulse category in the channel, Britvic’s review also identifies that stores could be doing more to tap into ‘meal for tonight’ occasions. Forecourts specifically are under trading. The company noted that shoppers are paying on average £10.44 for a ‘meal for tonight’ with a soft drink but are currently only spending £7.18 on the same occasion in forecourts. At a time when the category continues to display a great deal of resilience and relevance, soft drinks provide convenience stores of all formats and sizes with a breadth of opportunity to increase sales.
NAM Implications:
- A no-brainer opportunity…
- Every convenience retailer needs to find time to read and apply these insights…
- …rather than wait for a rival to show how.
