The soft drinks industry grew in value during 2011 by 5.1% to more than £14.5bn, according to the latest statistics.

The 2012 UK Soft Drinks Report, containing data from food and drink consultancy Zenith International, revealed a 0.7% growth in consumption, accounting for more than 14.6 billion litres and an average of 253.3 litres per person.

Published by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), the report detailed category consumption highlights for the year, including bottled water, which rose by 2.2% to 33.6 litres per person. Still bottled water accounted for 72% of the market share.

Carbonates consumption was up 4.1%, with more than a third (38%) consisting of diet, low-calorie or no-added-sugar options.

Richard Laming, BSDA’s media director, said: “The business climate has been difficult, but the soft drinks industry is a living example of how long-term commitment can lead to long-term success.”

Other good performers included the dilutables category, generating a retail value of £945m, up by 3.7%. Fruit juices and smoothies grew by 4.2% reaching £1.8bn, providing 124 servings per person for the year and an overall volume of 1.16 billion litres.

Still and juice drinks consumption increased 1.2% and totalled 1.47 billion litres, whiles the sports and energy drinks market grew by 10% in the past 12 months reaching 660 million litres.

To download the full report, visit http://www.britishsoftdrinks.com/PDF/UK soft drinks report 2012.pdf

Topics