- 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%1
- Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2024 paints a positive picture that is set to continue, highlighting that nearly two thirds (60%) of people now use c-stores,[2] with the majority of those shoppers being younger and more affluent families, increasing share and driving up basket size and spend[3]
- Forecourts are helping to fuel the growth in convenience and present a significant growth opportunity already – the category is bought on more than a quarters (29.5%) of convenience store visits[4] – but Britvic calculates that by raising the number to one in every three baskets, stores can unlock an opportunity worth £36m[5]
There’s a lot to be positive about in the world of convenience retail, according to Britvic’s latest Soft Drinks Review 2024. As more shoppers turn to their local stores, this is driving up basket size and spend,3 average number of items bought rising from 2.8 to 3.2 The report indicates that these consumer behaviour shifts and the changing commercial climate are presenting new opportunities for convenience retails 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%).2
As the market goes from strength to strength, Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2024 has revealed 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.[6] The forecourt sector has moved on from purely fuelling vehicles and selling quick drinks and bites to eat on the go. 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 highlights that soft drinks, which bought on more than a quarter (29.5%) of forecourt visits,4 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.5 That’s more than £4,900 a year in additional sales per forecourt outlet.[7]
“There’s no denying the important role soft drinks are playing in the convenience sector,” comments 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.”
Parker continues, “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.[8] 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.[9] There’s an opportunity here for the taking.”
More broadly across convenience, stimulant energy delivered growth worth £181.5m last year.[10] 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.[11] Stimulant energy remains number one,10 the appeal of these to attract more people and to encompass a greater variety of consumption occasions will deliver more growth. 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 comments “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.[12] 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).8 A fifth (20%) of food-to-go new product development launched in the first quarter of 2024 was for breakfast.[13] With bakery the number one category at breakfast,8 Britvic suggests pairing items such as croissants with Jimmy’s Iced Coffee to maximise spend. Alternatively, Plenish Health Shots with added vitamins are a perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit, overnight oats and yoghurts.
“It’s promising to see more occasions opening up to the convenience retailers, such as breakfast. 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,” comments Parker, “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.[14] 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,14 Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2024 also identifies that stores could be doing more to tap into ‘meal for tonight’ occasions. Forecourts specifically are under trading. According to Britvic, 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.[15] 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.
Download the Britvic Convenience Soft Drinks Review 2024.
[1] Circana, Total Convenience, Total Soft Drinks, Value, Vol & Unit, 52WE 31/12/2023 vs. YA
[2] Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme – 52 w/e 08.01.23 – 07.01.24
[3] Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme, data collected 12WE 28.05.23
[4] Lumina CTP, Forecourts, 52 weeks to 04.02.24
[5] Calculated by dividing the £306.9 soft drinks value in Circana, Roadside Petrol Multiples, Value Sales 2023 by the % of baskets from Lumina CTP (29.5%), Forecourts, 52 weeks to 04.02.24 & increasing to 33%
[6] Lumina Intelligence, Convenience & Wholesale market Report, July 2023
[7] Calculated by dividing £36m by the 7.4k forecourts with C-stores in operation in the UK – Experian V2 database release, September 2022
[8] Lumina Intelligence Convenience tracking Programme 52 w/w 04.02.24
[9] Kantar WPO Out of Home Forecourts 52 w/e 18/02/2024
[10] Circana Convenience, Britvic Defined Soft Drinks, Value Sales, 52WE 31.12.23
[11] Circana Convenience, Britvic Defined Soft Drinks, Value and Unit Growth, YoY, 52WE 31.12.23
[12] Mintel Sports & Energy Drinks 2023
[13] Lumina Intelligence UK Food to Go Market Report 2024; Q1 2024
[14] Circana, Total Convenience, Total Soft Drinks Britvic Defined, value growth, YoY, 52WE 31.12.023
[15] Lumina Intelligence Tracking Programme 2023
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