Multipack sales help drive shipment growth
Can Makers, the body representing the UK manufacturers of beer and carbonated soft drinks cans, has revealed that carbonated soft drink can shipments were up 8%, with 186 million more units shipped in the first half of 2011 compared with 2010.
In total, 2503 million cans for soft drinks were shipped in the first six months of the year (January to June).
In the Nielsen universe, growth in all carbonated soft drink in cans to end of June was 11.2%. The 15, 25 and 33cl can sizes have all seen a rise. The main driver has been an increase in sales of multipacks, with the eight packs proving the most popular. The energy drinks sector has seen remarkable growth, with 50cl cans in this category seeing 31% growth year to date.
While carbonated soft drinks continue to grow, shipments of empty beer and cider cans in the first half of 2011 were down by 6.8% compared with 2010, with 2108 million cans shipped. This is due in large part to the fact that in 2010 demand was stimulated by the World Cup. The beer market in both the on- and off-trades is also affected by the recession and its impact on consumer spending.
According to Nielsen in the year to date, beer and cider in cans have made small gains from glass bottles in terms of market share. Sales of single cans have increased influenced, no doubt, by the recession. Multipacks, specifically 12 and 18 packs, have also seen a growth.
Overall, can market shipments in the first half of 2011 have increased by 1% to 4611 million.
Geoff Courtney, chairman of the Can Makers and a member of CanTech International’s editorial board, said: “We are pleased to see the continued rise in the can soft drinks market in the UK and we are confident that there will be a stronger performance in the alcohol sector for the second half of the year as the can will be the pack of choice for the consumer going into the Christmas period. It is great to see that despite the recession, the can market has continued to see a growth in the first half of the year. ”