Can you give an overview of your brand?
Monster is world famous, not just for its great-tasting energy drinks, but also for its iconic brand and high-profile partnerships with extreme sports and gaming.
Monster's the driving force in energy drinks, and it’s the no.1 deliverer of value growth (26.4 per cent) in the total soft drinks category[1] –adding nearly £98m of value in the past year alone[2].
If retailers want their energy fixture to work harder, Monster's the brand to make it happen. We’ve got the right range, and we've got the insights, expertise and exciting brand partnerships to go with it.
How is your brand currently performing?
Worth more £374m[3], Monster is the fastest-growing energy brand in GB[4]. As well as a strong core range, we’ve got Monster Ultra, the number one range in the zero-sugar energy segment[5], and Monster Juiced, a range made with real fruit juice, which includes Monster Juiced Mango Loco and Monster Juiced Pipeline Punch – two of the biggest growth drivers in the whole Monster portfolio[6]. The Monster Ultra and Monster Juiced ranges are both in 40 per cent growth[7].
How is the energy market currently performing?
The energy drinks market continues to grow. It’s worth nearly £1.4 billion in GB[8], and accounts for one in three on-the-go soft drinks sold in convenience[9].
Do you have any new product development?
Monster has played a leading role in diversifying the sector in recent years, offering a growing variety of flavours, juice blends and functional benefits, that increase the appeal of energy drinks to more consumers, on more occasions. Monster has become a mainstream soft drink.
Earlier this year we launched Monster Mule, Monster Ultra Fiesta and Monster Juiced Monarch, which combined, are now worth more than £12.5m[10].
Since then, we’ve also recently refreshed Monster Assault with a new full-on flavour and a design that takes a modern approach to a classic camo look and unveiled Monster Nitro – an exciting category-first that blends nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide to deliver a uniquely light, dry, carbonated texture.
We also expanded our Reign Total Body Fuel range in July, with the launch of two refreshing new variants – Peach Fizz, packed with the flavours of succulent peach and a hint of citrus fruits, and Orange Dreamsicle, with an orange citrus and vanilla bean flavour.
How are you supporting your brand & NPD?
Gaming continues to be a huge and fast-growing part of the global entertainment industry – in which Monster has been a major player for nearly two decades.
This month we launched an epic on-pack promotion in partnership with Apex Legends to help retailers tap into energy drinkers’ thirst for gaming. We will continue to invest in the exciting, high-profile partnerships and promotions we know our fans expect from us.
We're also helping our customers capitalise on Monster's continued success via a retailer support initiative called Sales Supercharged – home to tips, trends, inspiration, equipment info and POS, and chances to win free stuff! There’s more to come on that in 2022.
How important are independent retailers to your brand?
Our field sales team is one of the largest in GB and we’re proud of the relationships we have with our independent customers and the support we offer. We make regular visits to provide the latest advice on ranging, merchandising and more.
A large proportion of Monster sales are when consumers are on-the-go and visiting convenience and forecourt stores, in fact in symbols and independents retail stores, Monster is outperforming the category, up 38 per cent in value and adding more than £43m worth of sales in the last year[11].
What trends are occurring in the sector?
Energy drink purchases have traditionally been impulse-led. The sector was quick to adapt when the country went into lockdown last year, and successfully aligned itself with home-based occasions – which remain popular alongside the return of on-the-go.
Our Monster four-packs are in 67 per cent growth[12] and we’ve expanded the range this year– put simply, energy drinks have more occasions to cater for than ever!
Other key trends include shopper appetite for flavour innovation – which they can always rely on us for– and interest in health and wellness. Health is an even bigger motivator for consumers looking to improve their lifestyles post-Covid[13], and this is where our zero sugar Monster Ultra and added-functionality Reign Total Body Fuel ranges come in.
Describe your brand in three words…
SUPERCHARGED, GREAT-TASTING, INNOVATOR
[1]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[2]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[3]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[4]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[5]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[6]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[7]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 19.06.21[8]Nielsen (Home Channel) Value MAT total GB to 19.06.21[9]Nielsen Indies & Symbols MAT VAL week ending 26.12.2020[10]Nielsen MAT Val Total GB WE 190621[11]Nielsen MAT Val Independents and Symbols WE 19.06.21[12]Nielsen (Home Channel) Value MAT total GB to 19.06.21[13] IGD Appetite for Change Report - How have consumer attitudes to healthy and sustainable diets changed in the wake of COVID-19? September 2020
Sir Alan Bates, Founder, Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (Photo Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
REUTERS/Hollie Adams
(Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Former sub-postmistress Seema Misra (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells arrives to testify at the Post Office inquiry on May 22, 2024 in London, England. Paula Vennells worked as the Post Office chief executive during the key Horizon operating years from 2012 - 2019. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
