Whether it’s bestselling carbonates and energy drinks or glitter-infused fruit drinks and limited-edition flavours, the soft drinks category has plenty to offer this Christmas.
They don’t call October to December “the golden quarter” for nothing, with sales warming up nicely over Halloween and Bonfire Night, ready to set alight in December.
“Christmas is one of the most profitable times of year for retail, an excuse for shoppers to indulge, opting for more premium products versus their everyday purchases,” says a Red Bull spokesperson. “This presents a huge opportunity for retailers to drive sales, with the four weeks of December 2024 delivering £13.7bn in FMCG sales and shoppers increasing their household spend by 10% on average [Kantar Worldpanel, Take Home, 4 weeks to 24 December 2024].
“Not only does Christmas deliver more sales, but it is also a highly incremental time of year, delivering increased volume and frequency. Around 35% of promotional volume at Christmas is incremental to the average store, compared to just 25% during the rest of the year [Kantar Worldpanel, Source of Volume Analysis, two years of promotions data until July 2023]. This impact is felt across categories, and functional energy is one of them, with shoppers making an additional 3.2 million trips vs the average month in the year [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024].”
As one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, Christmas continues to be a major moment for retailers, concurs Carlsberg Britvic. “With many social events taking place within the home, the demand for a variety of drinks increases, giving retailers an opportunity to capitalise on the seasonal demand,” says Ben Parker, VP Sales – Off Trade. “To meet this need and benefit from the lift in food and drink sales, retailers should offer a well-curated mix of fan favourites like Pepsi Max, 7UP, and Tango, alongside bold new flavour innovations.”
Claire Fleming, store manager at Spar Saltcoats in North Ayrshire, agrees that, alongside bestsellers, “anything weird and wonderful at Christmas” seems to capture soft drink shoppers’ imaginations.
Festive NPD
Consumers looking for something new this season are spoilt for choice. Carlsberg Britvic has launched a range of Robinsons and Fruit Shoot flavours in celebration of the new Wicked movie. With whimsical names including ‘Wonderfully Fruity Twist’ and ‘Sparkle Berry’ and the addition of edible glitter, Claire reckons they may well appeal to Christmas soft drinks consumers. “They’re going on my promo end,” she says. “Any products linked with a film always go well and because it’s glittery people might associate it with Christmas.”
Festive favourite J2O Glitterberry is also back for 2025. The grape, cherry and winter spice flavour with edible red glitter is available across the convenience channel from now until the end of December. The launch is supported by an on-pack promotion, offering shoppers the chance to win Ticketmaster e-gift cards and Bluetooth speakers. To enter, consumers must buy a pack of J2O Orange & Passion Fruit, Apple & Mango, Apple & Raspberry or Glitterberry and visit the J2O website.
J2O is one of Spar Saltcoats’ top sellers. “The orange J2O sells all the time in my shop, but we sell more of it at Christmas and people buy the different variants too if you have them,” says Claire.
Another yuletide drink that is already making a splash is Irn-Bru’s Winter Bru, which is infused with Spiced Cinnamon & Ginger. The red cans are emblazoned with snowflakes and come in 330ml plain (RSP £1.09) and 79p price-marked cans (cases of 24) and 8 x 330ml multipacks (RSP £4.50).
Kenny Nicholson, Irn-Bru Brand Director, says: “We know that our limited-edition flavours are hugely popular and a big incremental sales driver. Retailers have sold more than nine million cans of Irn-Bru Xtra limited editions in the last two years [AG Barr Sales Data, Unit Sales 2023, 2024], with almost half attributed to new category shoppers.
“Sales of ginger-flavoured drinks are also increasing by 27% [Circana / All ginger flavour soft drinks / L52 w/e 19 April 2025], so we know that this is the perfect time for Winter Bru. A spicy hit in every sip, we’ve combined our iconic Irn-Bru taste with a truly delicious festive flavour that we know will have shoppers running back for more before it’s gone.”
The launch is being backed by PR, social and influencer activation, and POS will be available for retailers and wholesalers to create festive theatre in store throughout the winter months.
The Christmas concoction is already working its magic at Spar Saltcoats. “We’ve got Irn-Bru’s Winter Bru in and it is flying out the door,” Claire says.
Joining Irn-Bru on its ginger journey is Red Bull’s third Winter Edition, with the taste of Fuji Apple and Ginger.
“As shoppers continue to experiment with flavoured energy, Christmas is also an important time to drive trial, with shoppers more open to trying something new or seasonal as they prepare for the festive season,” says Red Bull.
Last year Red Bull Editions were key to driving the category at Christmas, accounting for 49% of all flavoured functional energy growth in the four weeks of December [NIQ Scantrack, Total Coverage, 4 weeks to 28 December 2024]. “With 31% of functional energy shoppers buying a Red Bull Edition flavoured energy drink over this timeframe, the demand is clear [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024],” says Red Bull.
Christmas 2024 saw Red Bull launch its second Winter Edition, Iced Vanilla Berry. “With 63% of purchases planned [Kantar Worldpanel Plus Survey, N = 621, February 2025], the launch was effective at bringing shoppers into store at a key time to drive sales – demonstrating the additional sales opportunity presented by limited edition and seasonal product around at Christmas.”
Flavoured Editions shoppers tend to be younger than the average energy drink consumer, with 60% of buyers being under 35 [Kantar Worldpanel | Combined Panel | Total Market | 52 weeks to 20 April 2025].
The original Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is also a must-stock, selling more packs than any other single serve soft drink all year round, according to Nielsen Scantrack, Total Coverage, Latest 52 weeks to w/e 19 April 2025. “Ensuring it is well-stocked, chilled and always available is key to driving sales over the festive season,” says a Red Bull spokesperson.
Go large
As occasions get bigger, shoppers are also looking to trade up, notes Red Bull. “With consumers spending more time at home and catering to guests, they are influenced to try larger, more premium pack formats,” says the firm. “As a result, multipacks see a notable lift in rate of sale over those four weeks (an increase of 16% vs the average week in the year) [NIQ Scantrack, Total Coverage, 4 weeks of December (2023 & 2024) vs average month over 2 years].”
Last year, penetration of functional energy multipacks grew by 7% vs the average month in December as shoppers traded up into higher volume packs [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024], making multipacks an essential way to capture shoppers looking for more volume over Christmas.
“At Christmas time we definitely sell bigger packs of soft drinks,” says Claire. “We get in more 2-litre bottles and I’ve pre-ordered 18 packs of Coke and the big packs of Schweppes. That screams Christmas.”
She claims that there is a notable switch towards big brands during this time of year as shoppers look to indulge and impress their friends and family. “When it gets close to Christmas, people upgrade from Spar lemonade to Schweppes and I can’t keep the shelves full!” she says. “It’s the same with Spar Coke and Coca-Cola. They are our bestsellers at Christmas.”
Seasonal displays
Draw shoppers in with bold, seasonal displays featuring popular products like Pepsi Max and use festive colours, signage, and lighting. Place popular picks like soft drinks and snacks in high-traffic spots to grab attention and drive impulse buys.
Group products by occasion
Create themed zones like ‘Christmas Morning Essentials’ or ‘Party Picks’ to inspire shoppers and make navigating the store easier. Bundling complementary items – like coffee with breakfast foods – encourages cross-category purchases and boosts basket spend.
Promotions
Promotions are a great way to encourage impulse purchases, and this is especially true during Christmas. Communicate promotions to shoppers to drive both awareness and footfall. For example, placing core soft drinks such as Pepsi Max and 7UP alongside complementary categories like savoury sharers and party snacks can encourage impulse purchases and increase basket spend.
Choice
Stock up on multipacks and large bottles near seasonal food to drive bulk buys. Mix trusted favourites with bold new flavours to suit every shopper, and don’t forget family-friendly options to make your store the go-to festive stop.
This shopper behaviour aligns with broader brand strategies, notes Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. “For instance, Schweppes and Coca-Cola are key to Christmas celebrations thanks to iconic campaigns that consumers look forward to every year,” says Senior External Communications Manager Kate Abbotson.
“The Coca-Cola portfolio, being a soft drink staple all year round, accounts for over two-thirds (69.3%) of value sales in cola [Nielsen & CGA Total GB value data: Value share of Total Cola: MAT to 25.01.25]. Coca-Cola Original Taste remains GB’s number one soft drink [Nielsen, Total GB, Val Sales MAT 17.05.25] and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is worth more than £477m [Nielsen Total Coverage incl. discounters value data MAT to 22.03.25]. While Diet Coke is the original sugar-free cola and is worth more than £495m in retail [ibid].”
She also flags up the importance of soft drinks’ role as mixers. “Making mixed drinks or cocktails at home over the festive season can be a more affordable, fun alternative to going out to a bar,” says Abbotson.
“Consumers are looking to pair their favourite spirits with quality mixers like Schweppes Classic Tonic and Slimline Tonic. This is why we expanded our PMP range by introducing price-marked Schweppes 1-litre PET bottles, enabling more convenience customers to enjoy the advantages of PMPs – perfect for a big Christmas night in or New Year’s Eve party.
“Premium adult soft drinks, such as Appletiser, can also be used as a flavoured base for cocktails and mocktails, or in a mixed drink, delivering a more sophisticated serve for any at-home occasion.”
Adult soft drinks perform well for Spar Saltcoats. “Appletiser is a core line for us, it sells all the time,” says Claire, observing the popularity of bigger formats at Christmas. “Also, kids like Shloer because it’s bubbly and they feel grown up drinking it when the grown-ups have Prosecco.”
Stocking up on bestsellers and seasonal limited editions and including larger pack sizes within your offer will ensure you sleigh with soft drinks this season.
Carlsberg Britvic has unveiled a host of glitter-infused Robinsons and Fruit Shoot soft drinks to celebrate the release of Universal Pictures’ ‘Wicked: For Good’ movie.
The limited-edition run of flavours includes a new ‘Wonderfully Fruity Twist’ flavour, alongside the return of ‘Amazifying Citrus Twist’ and ‘Outstandiful Berry’ in Robinsons Double Concentrate. These are available across the convenience channel in 750ml formats until mid-December.
For the first time, the partnership also extends into Fruit Shoot, with ‘Thrillifying Citrus’ (Citrus Twist) and ‘Sparkle Berry’ (Strawberry & Pineapple) flavours, which come in eight-pack formats for the convenience channel.
Inspired by the film’s iconic characters, Elphaba and Glinda, a supporting campaign will encourage shoppers to answer, ‘Witch Flavour Are You?’, driving interaction at purchase and promoting trial across the limited-edition range. To further increase campaign visibility, Robinsons core Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant will feature exclusive Wicked-themed on-pack designs across its 750ml and 1.75-litre Double Concentrate formats.
Clare Brosnan, Brand Marketing Director at Robinsons, says: “Last year’s partnership with Universal Pictures was a huge success, with 1.3 million limited-edition bottles sold in Q4 and £1.6 million RSV delivered in total market [Kantar, Take-Home Panel, 12we 29 December 2024.] Building on this momentum, this year we are going bigger and better, introducing new flavours across the Robinsons and Fruit Shoot brands to extend appeal and further drive engagement. Pairing Wicked: For Good, one of the year’s most hotly anticipated films, with such well-loved family brands is perfectly set to deliver success in the squash aisle for retailers.”
Wicked: For Good launches in cinemas on Friday 21 November, creating a clear opportunity for retailers to unlock additional squash and Fruit Shoot sales in the lead-up to Christmas, states the firm.
