Purity Soft Drinks, makers of leading fruit juice and juice drink brands Juice Burst and firefly, has announced the introduction of attached caps across its entire Juice Burst range this month, making the packaging 100% recyclable.
The attached caps will make it easier for consumers to recycle the products more effectively, reducing the frequency of bottle caps being discarded or littered and helping to ensure they are captured and recycled with the rest of the packaging. The attached caps will also see the removal of foil seals from all Juice Burst bottles, reducing foil packaging waste by 10 tonnes annually.
Purity Soft Drinks has invested significantly in testing, development and new factory equipment to deliver this packaging update.
The new caps were well received during national testing trials, the company added, with consumers finding that the classic Juice Burst wide mouth design kept the attached cap from being an interference and ensured an easy to drink and close experience.
Attached caps are an EU requirement from this month, and whilst the recycling innovation has already been experienced within the UK in a small way, from this summer onwards many UK consumers will experience attached caps when travelling in Europe.
“We are always looking at ways to improve our manufacturing processes, especially when there are opportunities to future-proof our brands by enhancing their health and sustainability credentials and strengthening the consumer experience, and the introduction of attached caps across the Juice Burst range is the latest milestone in this sustainability journey,” Sarah Baldwin, chief executive of Purity Soft Drinks Ltd, commented.
“With the implementation of attached caps becoming mandatory across the EU this year, this opens up the potential for the UK to bring in similar legislation and, we’re proud to be ahead of the curve – especially when we can deliver positive impact. The soft drinks industry, generally, has a strong track record of this.
“For example, we made the decision in 2017 to include no added sugar ever in any of our drinks, making our entire range HFSS-compliant before the legislation came into effect. In 2022 Juice Burst also introduced 30% RPET across the whole range. And now, making our bottles 100% recyclable with the addition of attached caps, we feel confident in the direction in which our brands are heading.”
The new packaging is being introduced off the back of a transformational period for Purity Soft Drinks, as it continues to navigate the many challenges currently facing the juice category to maintain strong performance. Juice Burst continues to lead the way, outperforming the Drink Now and Drink Now Fruit Juice (On The Go) categories, growing at over 14 per cent YOY.
Additionally, the brand’s biggest ever marketing campaign, Punchy To The Core, is set to make its Juice Burst Apple SKU reach over 30 million UK adults and will be seen 174 million times through various marketing activations.
March 2025 sees Popcorn Kitchen introduce Strawberry chocolate pigs in popcorn blankets as the latest addition to its home-popping portfolio. A fusion of fruit-themed pig candy, gourmet popping corn kernels and Belgian milk chocolate buttons, it allows any popcorn obsessive to make 14 generous portions.
Since its arrival in 2023 “Pop at Home” has become the business’s most successful new gifting launch with every topping from chocolate mini eggs and jellybeans, to peanut butter buttons, to novelty chocolate sprouts, festive chocolate coins and Rocky Road marshmallows. In 2024 sales grew by 95 per cent year-on-year.
“In an ever-changing global snacking landscape popcorn continues to shine, not least because of its unrivalled versatility, convenience and nostalgic associations,” said Co-Owner and Director Louise Monk.
“Whether we’re talking healthier, savoury, microwaveable or gourmet, popcorn retains the capacity to align with all manner of timeless flavours and turn heads. In particular, popcorn that aligns itself with high-end ingredients or cult childhood toppings are reaping the rewards for their ingenuity and daring-do.”
Pop-at-Home has shone in the UK’s growing gifting fixture which provides family friends, parents and grandparents to go the extra yard when visiting friends and family.
Mentos Sweets, the second largest brand in the hard chews category – now valued at £43.4m – is set to make its debut on the popular gaming platform Fortnite Creative, bringing a fresh and playful twist to the gaming world.
Over the next two weeks, Mentos Fizzookas – custom rocket launchers that
leverage the famously fizzy reaction for explosive fun – will be dropped into some of the most popular Fortnite Creative maps, “Piece Control 2v2”, “Piece Control 1v1”, “Troll Bed Wars”, and “Sky Wars” with a combined audience of over a million players per day, on average. This signifies the first time the Mentos and cola experiment has appeared in a gaming platform, and the first branded tactical item to be released in Fortnite Creative.
The entry into Fortnite Creative comes as the brand looks to build cultural relevance amongst younger, growing audiences. Research has shown that one in three Gen Z play games daily
and around 75 per cent play video games at least once a week, underlining the strategic importance of gaming as a platform for brand engagement.
To support this launch, a creative campaign will run globally, with over 20 markets
amplifying the Fizzooka launch with local influencers, media and across social
activations. On top of digital activations, Mentos also tasked influencers from all over the world to bring the campaign into the physical world, giving them 30 real-life, functioning Mentos Fizzookas replicas to create fun and engaging content.
“The Mentos x cola experiment first came to fame in 1999 and has been a mainstay on YouTube, TikTok and social media sites ever since,” said Sarah du Plessis, Mentos Brand Manager. “Now, with the invention of the Mentos Fizzooka, it seems there’s still plenty of fizz left in the famous experiment!
“We know gaming is a rich territory to connect with younger, Gen Z audiences and our latest foray into Fortnite Creative is a natural extension of our strategy to keep the brand fresh and relevant by engaging consumers in new and unexpected ways. We can’t wait to introduce a whole new audience to say Yes to Fresh.”
Vape firm Voopoo has unveiled the latest product in its ARGUS series, ARGUS G3.
The new pod device is powered by the revolutionary iCOSM CODE 2.0 technology, as Voopoo once again delivers on its promise of unmatched customer satisfaction through innovation, quality, and style.
ARGUS G3 debuts the revolutionary iCOSM 2.0 technology with the ARGUS Top Fill Cartridge V2, featuring a groundbreaking big coil that combines liquid-seal shield, mega-core, and golden cotton for an exceptional vaping experience.
A fully-wrapped copper sleeve creates a dense e-liquid film with 99% internal surface coverage, tripling that of conventional coils. Voopoo said this design will enhance leak-proof performance by 83%, ensuring 30 days of cleanliness.
With instant saturation and consistent flow, the mega-core layer of speed-control cotton further eliminates flavor inconsistency. It keeps the vape smooth, sweet, and full of flavor, every single time.
The high-tech, heat-resistant golden cotton, wrapped around the mesh, is made of aerospace materials. When regular cotton starts breaking down at just 150°C, it can handle up to a scorching 260°C. That's why it lasts longer — one cartridge can handle up to 100 mL of e-liquid without losing flavor or performance.
The robust 1500 mAh high-density battery is capable of delivering up to 5 days of uninterrupted vaping on a single charge. While, ARGUS G3 only weighs impressively 65g, comfortably fitting in your palm and providing freedom and ease of use. With a 0.96" TFT colour screen, the creative textures and gradient colours add a touch of sophistication.
The product is available in a UK-complaint 2mL variant.
KP Snacks is expanding its Hula Hoops range, with the introduction of a bold new Smoky Bacon flavour.
The new product will be available in the same reduced plastic outer sleeve that is being rolled out across existing Hula Hoops core six-pack multipacks, removing 24 tonnes of packaging annually.
Inspired by the unbeatable taste of grilled bacon, the launch balances a perfect smoky flavour with the brand’s famous crunchy texture. The new product expands one of the nation's favourite crisp brands, purchased by 28m UK households each year.
Launching in a multipack, the new Smoky Bacon variant capitalises on the strength of this format, with multipacks driving over a third of CSN sales. Hula Hoops BBQ Beef is the best-selling multipack within the “meaty & BBQ” flavour segment and the new addition complements the range with a strong, meaty flavour that appeals to consumers. The new product capitalises on the strength of the “bacon” flavour partition in CSN, worth £74m and growing +10 per cent YOY.
The Hula Hoops Smoky Bacon multipack is well-positioned to add fun and excitement to both at-home and packed lunches, with 62 per cent of buyers opting for Crisps, Snacks and Nuts as part of their meal.
“We’re excited to launch a brand new flavour for the Hula Hoops core range, building on the brand’s momentum after reaching the impressive £200 million RSV milestone last year,” said Sasha Finan, Brand Manager at Hula Hoops. “The release of the new Smoky Bacon variant is a key step in driving incremental shoppers to the brand by tempting consumers with new and irresistible flavours.”
The new product will join Hula Hoops’ core range, featuring well-loved flavours Original, Salt & Vinegar, BBQ Beef and Cheese & Onion. It will be available in 6 x 24g multipack format. The multipack segment is the second largest in the category, valued at £1.8 million.
Walkers has confirmed that its fan favourite Worcester Sauce and Tomato Ketchup flavours are set to return.
Walkers has teamed up with Lea & Perrins and Heinz to help retailers take shoppers’ lunches to the next level, as Walkers invites consumers to “sauce” up their sandwiches by bringing the two iconic brands to shelves.
The additions come as fans continue to take to social media to request that Walkers bring back the Worcester Sauce flavour.
The highly anticipated return of the popular flavour has seen Walkers collaborate with the brand that created the original Worcester Sauce, Lea & Perrins, to deliver a tangy taste.
Packs feature a graphic of the iconic Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce bottle to highlight the partnership and catch the eye of shoppers.
Walkers has also joined forces with the nation’s favourite ketchup brand, Heinz, to deliver the iconic, rich tomato flavour that consumers know and love.
The Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle also features prominently on-pack, making it unmissable in store. It follows on from the brand’s collaboration with Heinz last year to create three limited-edition sandwich inspired flavours – Walkers Sausage Sarnie with Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour, Cheese Toastie with Heinz Baked Beanz flavour and Roast Chicken with Heinz Mayonnaise flavour.
Irina Panescu, Senior Marketing Manager at Walkers said: “Earlier this month, super fans from all over the country descended on Charlie’s Convenience Store in Worcester, as it became the first and only stockist of Walkers Worcester Sauce flavour crisps in the world.
"However, we knew from the unprecedented reaction that we needed to bring the iconic flavour back to stores nationwide. We are thrilled to be answering the demands of shoppers with the return of our Worcester Sauce flavoured crisps, working with Lea & Perrins to deliver our best taste yet.
“By working alongside another powerhouse in Heinz, these collaborations will attract new shoppers looking to try something different.
"These kinds of tie-ups are a great way to create excitement and drive footfall, giving shoppers the chance to enjoy a collision of some of their favourite flavours. We’re confident that both new launches will be a popular addition to people’s lunches, or as a snack to enjoy on its own, and ultimately help our retail customers drive more snacks sales.”
Sandwiches remain the top pick for lunchtime and latest non-HFSS offerings aim to help retailers tap into the lunchtime opportunity with bold snack choices and a diverse range of flavours.
The collaboration also kick starts Walkers’ #goallcrispin campaign, which is set to reignite the debate around crisp sandwiches among consumers on social media. The 360 campaign will run from 17th March until mid-April across TV, shopper, digital, social and PR activity.
Walkers Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce and Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavours are hitting shelves across the grocery, impulse and wholesale channels from March 17.
The NPD will be available in a range of formats, including a 45g grab bag (RSP: £1.10), 70g PMP (RSP: £1.25) and 6pk multipack (RSP: £2.00).