Soft drinks industry thrives despite tough economy

The soft drinks industry enjoyed its fastest annual growth rate in seven years last year, fuelled by a strong performance from sports and energy drinks.

Lucozade Sport is one of the leading players in the energy drinks market
Lucozade Sport is one of the leading players in the energy drinks market

The consumption of soft drinks in the UK grew by 4.1% in volume last year to reach 14.6 million litres while the value of the soft drinks market grew 5.8% to £13.9bn, according to a report by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) and independent market analysts Zenith International.

The report, which follows similar research from Britvic last month, found that sales of sports and energy drinks soared 13.1% and 12.8% respectively last year.

Other findings show that sales of fruit and juice drinks grew 5.8% in volume while dilutables increased 4.5% by volume.

Jill Ardagh, BSDA director general, says: “The soft drinks industry is successful because it listens to its consumers and meets their needs. Even in tough economic conditions, our industry can thrive as long because it is focused on meeting popular demand.”