Coca-Cola volume sales in Australia grew in the second half of 2018, driven by Coca-Cola No Sugar and the ongoing consumer trend towards low- and no-sugar choices.
Coca-Cola Amatil’s Group Managing Director Alison Watkins said Coca-Cola No Sugar volume sales had led overall Coca-Cola Trademark volumes into positive territory for the half.
“That’s a testament to Coca-Cola No Sugar’s flavour – taste tests showed it’s actually preferred by a majority of Classic Coke drinkers and at least equally liked by lovers of Coke Zero,” Ms Watkins said
“It’s also a testament to the trend toward low- and no-sugar choices. We’ve heard the message on consumer wellbeing, and we’re delivering with low- and no-sugar options for all our major beverage brands.”
Ms Watkins said the lift in volume sales was an indication of successful in-store execution and market campaigns. These will be enhanced in 2019 with a further $10 million for “feet on the street” to be invested in the state immediate consumption channel.
As part of its commitment to consumer wellbeing, Coca-Cola Amatil has committed to a 10 per cent reduction in sugar content (grams/100ml) across its Australia-New Zealand portfolio of sales by 2020, and a net 20 per cent reduction in Australia by 2025.
“We have achieved strong progress against this target with a net 5.7 per cent reduction of grams of sugar per 100ml across our portfolio of sales against the 2015 baseline,” said Ms Watkins.
“We also saw good results from products like Coca-Cola Raspberry, and the launch of Coca-Cola Orange No Sugar and Coca-Cola Vanilla No Sugar. And we’re leading the way in New Zealand with the world-first launch of Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar.
“So this was an encouraging year for Coca-Cola Trademark beverages. We look forward to continued momentum in 2019.”