New premium juice brand hits Waitrose

Booost Trading has developed a new organic fruit juice brand called Pip, which will be stocked in Waitrose stores from Friday.

Pip juice

The new range, created with brand consultancy Identica, will be backed until Christmas by an “aggressive” pricing promotion.

Following that, the company expects to increase marketing activity for both the drink brand and Booost Trading.

Booost brand manager George Corbin says Pip has been designed in an attempt to “fill a gap in the market for an affordable premium juice that is accessible to eco-conscious large families”.

Pip’s development included extensive consumer research, but some FMCG brand experts are sceptical of its success, given the strength of the brands currently on offer.

Don Williams, global CEO of branding consultancy Pi, says Innocent’s link to Coca-Cola, combined with its recent struggles means there is “potentially” a gap for a “trusted” juice alternative.

“The name is good – short, punchy and memorable and the brand ID and packaging is jolly and friendly enough. However, I’m not convinced that will be enough to take on more established organic brands as well as the Copellas of this world – especially at the price.”

He adds: “Brands like Grove Fresh avoid the pretensions of a heavily marketed and designed look, and in doing so have created an ultimately more trustworthy brand.”

Pip will be available at an introductory price of £1.99, instead of the usual £2.69, until January, slightly more than Grove Fresh (£2.49).

The company does not currently advertise its products but it is planning activity for the New Year to coincide with the traditional January health drive.