
Soaring Sales For Sports Drinks
Sports Drink Sales are up 19.1 Percent for the Entire Category to More Than $1.5 Billion for the Year Ending June 18, According to Iri. Bottled Sports Drinks saw the Biggest Increases, at 21 Percent, for a Total of $1.4 Billion in Supermarket, Drug and Mass Merchandise Outlets, Excluding Wal-mart. a Much Smaller Segment, Powdered Sports Drink Mixes Nonetheless Grew Almost 15 Percent for a Total of $31.7 Million in the Measured Channels.
With nine of the Top 10 brands in sports drinks,
Gatorade continues to hold on to its title as the undisputed category
champion. PepsiCo’s Gatorade formulas account for almost 85 percent
of bottled sports drinks, and the company’s flagship product dropped
slightly in market share during the past year, giving one brand nearly half
of the entire category’s sales. The Coca-Cola Co.’s Powerade
picked up a 18.6 percent sales increase in the measured channels, but lost
a slight 0.3 percent share of market for a total share of 13.2 percent.
Not every Gatorade product is invincible, however.
Gatorade Xtremo, its tropical-flavored variation, and Gatorade Ice
experienced some of the only declines in the ready-to-drink segment,
dropping 11.7 percent and 58.8 percent, respectively.
The increased segmentation in the sports drink
category sets out to satisfy the rehydration needs of a broad array of
consumers. This past year, Gatorade further differentiated its formulations
with new Gatorade Rain, created to have a crisper flavor and less
aftertaste than its original formula. The new variation is available in
Lime, Tangerine and Berry flavors.
Extending its line, The Coca-Cola Co. added Advance by
Powerade, a new sports drink/energy drink hybrid beverage, last year in
Berry and Cherry Lime flavors. The product contains caffeine, taurine and B
vitamins to combine both the hydration and energy concepts.
Top bottled sports drinks (individual brands) | ||||
VS. BRAND | DOLLAR % CHANGE VS.MARKET SALES PRIOR YEAR | % CHANGE SHARE PRIOR YEAR | ||
GATORADE | $681,661,400 | 19.5 | 47.5 | -0.5 |
POWERADE | $189,575,700 | 18.6 | 13.2 | -0.3 |
GATORADE FROST | $138,530,700 | 11.5 | 9.6 | -0.8 |
GATORADE FIERCE | $98,465,630 | 1.4 | 6.9 | -1.3 |
GATORADE ALL STARS | $97,888,670 | 31.1 | 6.8 | 0.5 |
GATORADE X FACTOR | $96,821,740 | 18.7 | 6.7 | -0.1 |
GATORADE RAIN | $50,590,950 | NA | 3.5 | 3.5 |
GATORADE XTREMO | $20,454,800 | -11.7 | 1.4 | -0.5 |
GATORADE ICE | $16,165,180 | -58.8 | 1.1 | -2.2 |
GATORADE ENDURANCE FORMULA | $11,964,230 | 130.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
CATEGORY TOTAL | $1,435,907,000 | 20.8 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
Source: Information Resources Inc., Total food, drug and mass merchandise (excluding Wal-Mart) for the 52 weeks ending June 18, 2006. |
It also rolled out low-calorie Powerade Option sports
drink in Black Cherry, Strawberry and Lemon flavors. The product was formulated to contain electrolytes and B vitamins
at levels comparable to regular Powerade, but with fewer carbohydrates and
80 percent fewer calories. It is sweetened with a blend of sucralose,
acesulfame potassium and high fructose corn syrup for a total of 10
calories and 2 grams of carbohydrates per 8-ounce serving.
This summer, the company is adding to the lineup with
the “Grape Collection.” Indicating that grape is one of the
most popular sports drink flavors, Coca-Cola has added the flavor to its
Powerade, Powerade Option and Dasani bottled water lines.
The market dominance of the major companies in sports
drinks hasn’t intimidated newcomers to the category, who have rolled
out a number of new formulations during the past year. Known to movie fans
everywhere, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger launched Rudy Revolution
sports drink this spring. Rudy Beverage Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., was
co-founded by the University of Notre Dame football player made famous in
the movie “Rudy,” and the company introduced a product said to
provide sustained energy and re-hydration with only 8 grams of sugar per
8-ounce serving “to keep everyone from the all-star high school
athlete to the weekend warrior constantly energized." Flavors include
Citrus Slam, Fruit Punch Blast and Orange Lift, and are available in
55-ounce bottles.
Firefighter Beverages, Norwalk, Conn., rolled out
Firefighter brand EMS Hydro Energy supplement drink, calling it a
three-in-one hydration-energy-vitamin beverage. The product is available in
Lemon Lime, Orange, Wild Berry, Fruit Punch, Kiwi Strawberry, Apple Melon
and Grape flavors. According to the company, “Hydro Energy is
specially engineered to provide optimum hydration and maximum energy for
intense physical activity in the most demanding
conditions.” It contains taurine, d-ribose, carnitine, arginine,
glutamine and vitamins, and fewer calories per serving than regular sports
drinks. The company donates a portion of net profits to national and local
firefighter-related causes and charities.
Ingredient company Ajinomoto has its hand in finished
beverages with Amino Vital Pro Advanced amino acid sports drinks. Available
in two fruit flavors, Amino Vital is packaged in 20-ounce bottles, and is
said to contain 3,600 mg. of amino acids per bottle. The company says the
drinks provide a fast but steady rate of absorption, so fluid reaches body
tissue when it needs it most.
The company also rolled out Amino Vital Puredge, a
ready-to-drink product in Citrus Orange and Fruit Punch flavors. Puredge is
said to provide 1,850 mg. of branched-chain amino acids and arginine and
contains 50 calories per 8-ounce serving.
For active kids, Sunny Delight Beverages Co. offered
SunnyD Intense Sport in Orange, Lemon Lime, Raspberry Ice and Cool Punch
flavors. The products contain B vitamins, vitamin C, electrolytes, and are lower in sugar.
Hansen Natural Corp. rolled out Blue Sport under its
Blue Sky brand of natural beverages. The product is available in Orange,
Fruit Punch and Lemon-Lime flavors, and is said to contain six types of
electrolytes — sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride and
phosphorus — as well as B vitamins. It is sweetened with sucrose and
glucose for 45 calories per 8-ounce serving. BI