Dollar sales in the carbonated soft drink (CSD) category totaled $18.3 billion for food, drug and mass merchandise retailers including Walmart for the 52 weeks ending April 14, according to data from Nielsen, New York City. Although CSD dollar sales declined 0.5 percent from the same period in 2011, the figure represents a $421 million decline in the same channels since April 17, 2010, the market research firm’s data shows.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), Plano, Texas, noted that the CSD category has lost 260 million cases to other categories since 2007, according to its presentation during the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference in February.