The total beverages category within petrol and convenience is growing at 2.7% in the latest 12 months (IRI MarketEdge, AU Convenience data, MAT to 10/1/21, supplied by Frucor Suntory).
The biggest contributor is said to have been energy drinks, growing at 6.8% (up $22.7 million compared with the previous year), making it responsible for around 70% of total beverages growth.
The significant growth in the sugar-free energy drinks sector, up 14%, is more than twice as fast as that of full-sugar energy drinks (at 5.7%).
One of the several energy drink brands Convenience World covers in its latest issue is Doctor V.
Coming into 2021, Doctor V, according to Head of Marketing Richard Hugo Lark, has had some strong progress so far, launching in Romeo’s NSW and picking up distribution in the Northern Territory.
“On a domestic level, we’re now stocked in over 400 stores nationwide,” he says. “This is an incredible effort from the Doctor V team and our distributors for our first year selling in Australia.
“Despite a difficult year, we’re still seeing great growth in the energy drink category, particularly for healthier options. The aim for Doctor V, moving into the first half of 202 1, is to continue converting traditional energy-drink drinkers to a healthier alternative and securing convenience channels to ensure our product is more accessible.”
Read more about Doctor V and what others are getting up to in the March/April issue of Convenience World.
