Soft drinks is still one of the biggest categories in the wholesale channel, purchased by 98% of UK households, according to Kantar.
The total category is worth a huge £20 billion and is growing in value by 3.7%, Nielsen data reveals.
During the cost-of-living crisis, consumers turn to familiar brands, helping CCEP’s portfolio lead various segments of the market.
Ruth Fawcett, Wholesale & Convenience Associate Director at CCEP GB, tells Wholesale Manager how the company has worked with customers in 2025 and how she stays customer-focused in her role.
What’s your background? How long have you been at CCEP and where were you before?
21 years at CCEP and a few more in the industry – and I still learning every day! I started as a National Account Manager and have since taken on roles across Commercial Marketing and Field Sales, each shaping how I approach challenges today. Before CCEP, I worked in various FMCG businesses, building a strong foundation in sales and marketing. And throughout my career, one thing has remained constant – I’ve always worked closely with Wholesale. Maybe that’s where I’m meant to be!
Tell us about your role – what does a typical day look like for you?
My role is about driving growth and building strong partnerships. Every day I work with customers and teams to deliver the right products, pricing, and plans – creating value for retailers and consumers
No two days are the same, here’s a snapshot:
Morning: Reviewing performance dashboards and aligning priorities with the team.
Midday: Customer calls and strategy sessions – planning launches, promotions, and seasonal campaigns.
Afternoon: Driving execution, coaching the team, and working on long-term initiatives like pricing and NPD.
I love the balance of strategy and execution – seeing plans turn into real results in the market is incredibly rewarding.
How do you stay customer-focused in your role?
I stay customer-focused by starting with what is driving sales through wholesale depots right now and ensuring our plans help wholesalers win on the missions that matter most, especially impulse, take-home and seasonal hosting.
I also keep a sharp focus on inflation and cost-of-living pressures, because these are shaping what depot customers want in terms of pack formats, clear pricing and dependable supply.
On top of that, I make sure wholesalers know about MyCCEP.com – our one-stop shop for insights, activation guides and point-of-sale materials. With those tools, wholesalers can quickly create eye-catching depot displays that draw retailers in and help drive more sales.
Can you share examples of successful ways you’ve worked with customers in 2025?
In 2025, we worked with wholesale customers in two main ways. We encouraged more frequent and larger orders across our fast-growing ranges through visible value, and we activated targeted campaigns that generated real impact.
A great example was our focus on price-marked packs. In energy, our entire Relentless range – including Fruit Punch and new Guava – is available in £1 PMPs, helping wholesalers deliver a consistent value message retailers trust in-store. In carbonates, we piloted a limited-time £1.09 PMP across all 500ml Fanta bottles in September, down from £1.40, to help retailers drive sales.
Our biggest wholesale activation of the year came from our alcohol ready-to-drink (ARTD) range. This 12-week ‘Win a Van’ giveaway was designed to reward retailers for stocking our ARTD portfolio, including Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola (plus the Zero Sugar and Cherry variants), Absolut Vodka & SPRITE (including Watermelon), BACARDÍ & Coca-Cola and Schweppes canned cocktails such as Gin Twist and Paloma Bliss.
The grand prize – a customised electric Ford E-Transit – went to a long-standing convenience operator in Brighton, with ten other retailers receiving £500 depot vouchers. It was a powerful way to drive rate of sale and reinforce the role of ARTDs in the wholesale mix.
What is the value of the UK soft drinks sector?
Demand remains strong, with 98% of households in Great Britain purchasing soft drinks in the last year1. The total category is now worth £20 billion2 and continues to perform well, up 3.7% in value3.
Consumers still seek out familiar, flavourful brands – especially as everyday pick-me-ups during cost-conscious times – which is why our portfolio continues to lead across multiple growth segments.
What trends are driving the market right now?
Inflation and cost-of-living pressures continue to shape shopper behaviour across the channel, but wholesalers are seeing shoppers stay loyal to trusted brands for their daily “pick-me-up.” That is why clear pricing and visible value formats remain essential to keep depot sales moving.
Zero-sugar and lower-sugar choices are thriving, with innovation increasing across colas, flavoured carbonates and energy, and give wholesalers a steady stream of new lines to refresh fixtures and maintain momentum. Flavoured colas, for example, are delivering 18% of growth in the £2.97 billion GB cola sector3, with Coca-Cola Lime helping drive this trend.
Energy drinks are also a huge opportunity in wholesale. Monster is now worth over £813m4 with 12.9% volume growth4, and accounted for 61% of all energy innovation sales last year4. Meanwhile, Reign Storm Clean Energy has generated £2.5m in just over a year4. This growth shows the importance of offering choice across traditional, functional and clean energy formats in depot. Stocking a mix of high-velocity core lines and emerging wellness options allows wholesalers to cater to both mainstream and health-conscious shoppers, while keeping the energy fixture fresh and relevant.
Seasonal socialising is another clear driver of growth, particularly for mixers and colas. Schweppes is the nation’s favourite mixer brand5, with Schweppes Lemonade worth almost £54.8 million6. In fact, 11 percent of mixer sales are linked to seasonal occasions7, so wholesalers should plan for increased demand for litre packs and multipacks through winter and into key early-2026 moments like Valentine’s Day and Easter.
Alcohol ready-to-drinks continue to grow at pace, with the category now worth over £656 million in GB8 and remaining the fastest-growing alcohol segment9. In 2025, standout NPD included Absolut Vodka & SPRITE Watermelon, Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry and Schweppes Mix cocktails – each combining familiar flavours with trusted brands to drive trial and repeat sales. The biggest trend in ARTDs is the power of recognisable pairings – well-known serves like Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola and Absolut Vodka & SPRITE are delivering both value and volume, thanks to their instant appeal.
How are CCEP’s brands performing?
Very strongly, especially in categories that drive wholesale footfall.
The Coca-Cola portfolio accounts for 63.6% of value sales in retail in cola3, with Coca-Cola Original Taste still the number one soft drink in GB10 and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar worth more than £480 million3. Diet Coke continues to perform well and is worth more than £500 million3, supported by high shopper loyalty that makes it a reliable wholesale volume driver.
Fanta is the leading flavoured carbonate3, accounting for nearly one in five flavoured carbonates sold3. Meanwhile, Dr Pepper is the fastest-growing flavoured carbonate3 and is outperforming the wider segment in both value and volume11. And Sprite is delivering 6% value growth overall and 13.3% growth in impulse12.
Schweppes remains the nation’s favourite mixer5 brand, making the brand an important seasonal wholesale driver, particularly in litre and multipack formats.
In energy, Monster is the fastest-growing major energy brand4 and is now in the UK top ten FMCG brands, while Relentless is the number four energy brand4 and continues to grow through bold flavours. Reign Storm Clean Energy is expanding wellness energy with zero sugar and plant-based caffeine and has already delivered £2.5 million in value sales just over a year from launch4.
Is there any NPD you can talk about at the moment?
2025 was a standout year for NPD across categories, and it gave wholesalers strong, practical reasons to refresh fixtures and drive incremental case sales across soft drinks, energy and alcohol ready-to-drinks.
In colas, Coca-Cola Lime and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Lime launched in January 2025 and are already performing strongly, with Coca-Cola Lime Zero Sugar passing £7 million in value sales in its first year. Meanwhile Diet Cherry Coke has also returned with retro packaging, which gives wholesalers a simple, familiar way to add a nostalgia-led sugar-free option into depots.
In flavoured carbonates, Fanta has continued to expand its zero-sugar line-up with Fanta Zero Apple and Fanta Zero Raspberry, as well as the limited-edition Tutti Frutti Zero Sugar. Meanwhile Dr Pepper Cherry Crush Zero Sugar launched at the end of January and is now worth £17.2 million after selling 9.7 million litres3.
In energy, Monster has extended its lineup with Monster Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red, Monster Juiced Rio Punch and Monster Lando Norris Zero Sugar. Relentless has kept momentum with bold flavour innovation, including Fruit Punch and new Guava, and Reign Storm Clean Energy continues to build the wellness energy segment with zero sugar, plant-based caffeine, added vitamins and natural colours.
In ARTDs, 2025 saw Absolut Vodka & SPRITE Watermelon, Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry and Schweppes Mix cocktails all join the line-up – each bringing fresh flavours into a recognisable format.
And we’ll be building on all this momentum in 2026, with more exciting innovation planned to delight consumers and help wholesalers and retailers drive sales right through the year.
How important is it to have eye-catching packaging designs?
It’s essential, especially in impulse-led categories like ARTDs, standout packaging helps shoppers make fast, confident choices. For wholesalers, that translates into stronger pick-up, trial and repeat case sales.
We design for standout across our range. From the bold purple stripe on Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry to the pink-green fade of Absolut Vodka & SPRITE Watermelon, our packs are made to catch the eye and cue flavour instantly. The same goes for Monster, where the iconic can designs across Ultra, Juiced and Core build on instant recognition of the Monster claw and make the range unmissable on shelf.
When these are brand-blocked in depot, the visual impact is even stronger, driving both recognition and basket spend.
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