Barr Soft Drinks is making its biggest ever investment in an energy brand with the launch of a £2 million campaign for Rubicon RAW. This investment, which includes sponsorship of this year’s Boardmasters Festival, will reach over 11 million energy shoppers.
Launched just 18 months ago, Rubicon RAW has quickly made an impact on the energy drinks category, becoming the fourth largest flavoured big can energy brand in the market and selling over 11 million cans.
“Rubicon RAW has had a phenomenal first year, establishing itself as an important part of the category,” said Adrian Troy, Marketing Director.
“60 per cent of the brand’s sales have been incremental by recruiting new and lapsed energy consumers and current consumers are also buying Rubicon RAW more frequently than other brands in the market.
“We’ve planned an epic year of activity to build on this success where we will engage a broad range of consumers and drive shoppers to fixture to increase category sales.
“We’re really excited to be the Official Partner of Boardmasters, as the exclusive Energy Drink sponsor. The five-day event in August is packed with live music from global headline acts and world-class surfers, creating an opportunity for us to build Rubicon RAW into the hearts and minds of core energy consumers,” Troy added.
Rubicon RAW will have huge visibility at Boardmasters Festival and will be the Exclusive Energy drink poured at all event bars. The sponsorship will be supported with an always-on marketing campaign, to continue driving brand awareness and loyalty with new and existing energy shoppers. This will include impactful POS materials to create in-store theatre and drive retailer sales.
“The energy market is changing, and consumer needs have changed. Energy is no longer the reserve of the traditional young gamers. Innovation has seen the consumer base shift. That’s why Rubicon RAW has been so successful, it meets their needs by delivering on taste. Made with 20% real fruit juice with caffeine from green coffee beans and B-vitamins it provides a big energy hit that is full of flavour,” concluded Troy.
Now worth £1.6bn and growing at +14.2 per cent, the energy drinks market is the biggest and most profitable drink-now segment in the UK. Big Can Energy is driving that growth at 22 per cent with Flavoured now accounting for over half of all volume sold, so it’s important that retailers offer a wide range of flavours to cater to shoppers.
Retailers should make use of RAW's impactful branded POS to create in-store excitement and drive incremental category sales.
Leading healthy cake brand Soreen has added Apple & Mango to its popular soft-baked Lift Bar range.
The latest addition to Soreen's non-HFSS portfolio, responds to consumer research highlighting 72 per cent of shoppers would prefer fruity flavoured Lift Bars for a mid-morning boost.
The new flavour aims to drive incremental growth to the Lift Bar range – which ranked fifth among the top ambient grocery launches in 2023 - and taps into the popularity of the sought-after apple and mango flavour pairing.
"We're committed to championing feel-good nutrition," says Liz Jacobs, marketing director at Soreen.
"We're uniquely positioned in the cake category to drive innovation and offer exciting new products in an aisle which is traditionally associated with afternoon and evening consumption. The new Apple & Mango flavour provides a perfect mid-morning pick-me-up that satisfies consumer demand for healthier, delicious snacks and supports retailer health agendas."
The Apple & Mango flavour joins the current range of Lift Bar multipacks: Blueberry and Raspberry & Vanilla. The whole range contains naturally occurring vitamin B12 which reduces tiredness and fatigue, making it ideal for morning snacking.
The Lift Bar range also contains a source of fibre, making it a great choice for consumers looking to boost their gut health.
Soreen Lift Bars appeal to a younger audience looking for a mid-morning snack that offers health benefits and delivers great taste. As the only 100% HFSS-compliant brand in the category, Soreen offer retailers flexible secondary display options throughout the store, further maximising their appeal to health-conscious consumers.
The launch will coincide with a second burst of the Soreen’s masterbrand ATL campaign running in January, live across TV, BVOD and social. The campaign will reach more than 80 per cent of all UK adults.
The Apple & Mango Lift Bar will also receive standalone support via shopper marketing, which will include POS, sampling and digital media across both in-store and online.
The new variant is available as an impulse channel exclusive in the UK for six months from January.
Snacking giant pladis has added a second variant to its popular McVitie’s Gold Billions range.
McVitie’s Gold Billions Chocolate & Hazelnut – layers of delicious crisp wafer with a chocolate and hazelnut flavour cream filling coated in golden caramel chocolate – is available as an impulse channel exclusive for six months from January 2025.
“This launch builds on the phenomenal success of multi-award-winning McVitie’s Gold Billions, which had grown to be a £5m brand only 18 months after launch. It is the number one on-the-go sweet biscuit in impulse ,” said Olivia Haley, brand manager, chocolate biscuit bars & commercial brands, pladis UK&I.
“We know consumers are increasingly looking for an indulgent treat in on-the-go snacking, and our brand and range strategy is centred around indulgence. In consumer testing, they absolutely loved this bar, which scored a huge 88 per cent intended repurchase rate.
“The single bar format lends itself to the on-the-go nature of the Impulse channel, and retailers have been hugely supportive of the new brand launch.”
The McVitie’s Gold Billions core range is being supported with a social and PR campaign in February and March, a first for the brand, as well as instore point-of-sale activation.
McVitie’s Gold Billions Chocolate & Hazelnut (RRP 89p, PMP 79p) is available in wholesale from 6 January.
Gherkin brand Mrs Elswood has unveiled a new duo of snack pickles in handy pouches for maximum on-the-go enjoyment.
The innovative new Mrs Elswood Pickle Bites are available in convenient 50g packs – perfect for on-the go snacking, picnics and lunchboxes – in fiery Peri Peri and the original Classic flavours.
“Delivering all the much-loved punch and crunch of a Mrs Elswood Gherkin but now in a handy pouch for extra convenience, we’re confident that Mrs Elswood Pickle Bites will be a hit with consumers seeking a new vegetable-based snacking experience,” commented Mat Moyes, Marketing Controller for Mrs Elswood.
“We know that consumers are increasingly seeking healthier snacking alternatives – and a pickled vegetable fits the bill perfectly. Pickles are a wonderfully versatile little product – delicious either on their own or when pimping up the dullest of dishes!” added Moyes.
“However, virtually all pickles sold in the UK come in jars and we appreciate that when people are out and about, they don’t want to be dealing with a load of pickle juice so we’ve developed a pickle with all the flavour and barely any brine and popped them into pouches to help consumers enjoy our gherkins wherever they may be.”
Mrs Elswood Pickle Bites are the result of the meeting of three key trends – convenience and portability, the desire to snack more healthily and the growing consumer desire to zing up the everyday with flavours developed specifically to put a punch into lunch.
The launch of Mrs Elswood Pickle Bites comes as gherkins continue to show strong growth in the UK (+10.6 per cent value growth). Mrs Elswood is now the UK’s #1 gherkin with a 17 per cent value share.
Gluten-free, vegan and kosher with an 18 month shelf-life, Mrs Elswood Pickle Bites (RRP £1.79 per 50g pouch) are available through brand owner Empire Bespoke Foods, a leading UK importer and distributor of speciality foods.
Rowntree’s has announced the launch of its latest innovation - Jelly Tots Tangy, as it celebrates the 60th birthday of Jelly Tots.
A vibrant and playful twist on the much-loved classic Jelly Tots, originally launched in 1965, this new creation steps into the sour space, offering fans a flavourful experience that combines nostalgia with tanginess!
Made with real fruit juice, the sweets are not only bursting with flavour but are also vegan-friendly, appealing to a broader audience who value delicious treats.
Packaged in a 140g sharing bag, Jelly Tots Tangy (RRP £1.50) is perfect for any sharing occasion, whether it's a family gathering or fun sociable events with friends.
“At Rowntree’s, we are dedicated to bringing joy and innovation to our fans. With Jelly Tots Tangy, we’ve taken a beloved classic and added a refreshing twist that we believe will resonate with both new and loyal fans alike,” Hayley Nixon, senior brand manager for Rowntree’s, said.
“It’s not just a sweet; it’s a fun experience to share and enjoy together!”
Jelly Tots Tangy rolls out in stores nationwide this January.
KP Snacks is expanding its McCoy’s range with the launch of a new Hot ’n’ Spicy flavour. Available from the end of January in a £1.25 PMP, the launch delivers a popular punchy flavour in a well-known format to engage consumers and drive sales.
Capitalising on the success of the UK’s number one ridged crisp brand, McCoy’s Hot ’n’ Spicy delivers McCoy’s signature full-on flavour with a perfect blend of spice and seasoning to ignite taste buds and elevate consumers’ snacking experience.
With Spicy being the third-largest flavour partition in CSN and the largest and fastest-growing in the PMP category, the launch debuts in this popular format to meet consumer demand and drive sales. With PMP’s becoming increasingly relevant and giving consumers good value for money, the launch is perfectly positioned to drive impulse purchases for retailers.
“McCoy’s is known for delivering bold, punchy flavours on a distinct ridge cut crisp, and this launch is no exception,” said John McDougall, Brand Manager for McCoy’s at KP Snacks. “Building on the success of spicy flavours and the growing demand for PMPs, this launch marries a popular flavour in a popular format to meet consumer demand and drive retailer sales. The new Hot ’n’ Spicy flavour is guaranteed to become a new consumer favourite."
Worth £188m and growing at 6.4 per cent, McCoy’s Hot ’n’ Spicy expands on McCoy’s popular portfolio of flavourful snacks. The brand was recently named as the NFL’s Savoury Snacks Partner across the UK and Ireland in a three-year deal running until March 2027.