Despite tough market conditions in the European beverage sector, energy drinks continue to show robust growth.
This is due to flavour and ingredient innovations, as well as the emergence of low-calorie options that meet the needs of a small but growing health-conscious consumer group, according to a new report by Canadean.
The report found that the European energy-drinks market is expected to increase by 4.9 per cent to reach close to 550 million litres in 2015.
“Energy drinks are highly submerged in people’s daily routines, which might be one of the reasons why they are so resilient in countries where other categories such as carbonates and beer have been continually declining,” said Angela Wynne, analyst at Canadean.
Even in countries like Greece and Russia, where consumers spend less on beverages due to economic circumstances, energy-drink volumes have stayed stable.
The report highlighted that the widening range of flavours and product extensions are the main drivers behind the continued expansion of energy drinks. Nevertheless, they remain a niche market, accounting for less than 0.1 per cent of total beverage consumption.
The volume of fruit-flavoured products has increased by around 11 per cent in recent years.
"These new flavours are targeting consumers who do not like the classic taste of energy drinks and who use them for refreshment, especially during the summertime,” said Wynne. In some countries, such as Hungary and Poland, new flavour innovations have succeeded in bringing back the younger generation to energy drinks.
Low-calorie energy drinks have also increased by 11.6 per cent across Europe in recent years, according to Canadean, as consumers see low-calorie options as a way to overcome current health concerns over energy drinks.
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