Coca-Cola revamps Schweppes with spirit-measure lids

Mixer brand Schweppes will undergo a major relaunch next year, with new packaging that will see the bottle caps double up as a measure for spirits.

The changes to the range, which includes ginger ale, tonic water and bitter lemon, will be made next year by Coca-Cola GB, which bought the British arm of Schweppes in 1999.

The revamp will also include new shrink-wrap labels, but industry insiders say it is the one-cap-one-measure idea that will strike a chord with consumers. One source says: “It’s a quirky little idea that provides instant added value with no added retail price. Depending on how Schweppes sells the idea, I think it will go a long way to growing the category.”

The most recent overhaul of Schweppes was in 2003, when Coke GB launched Schweppes Mixsch, a new line of flavoured mixers designed to accompany vodka into the on-trade.

Coca-Cola has several other brand innovations in the pipeline. Next year, it will introduce a Coke fridge dispenser, to be bought with 330ml can multi-packs. The dispenser will fit in the fridge, and consumers will be able to grab a can from a hole at one end. As they do so, the dispenser will release another can and move it to the hole ready for consumption.