Ribena Summer Fruits multipack

Ribena has expanded its RTD No Added Sugar (NAS) juice drinks with two new variants, taking the range beyond its core blackcurrant flavour for the first time.

The duo roll out next week in 10x200ml carton packs in orange and summer fruits flavours (rsp: £2.69). They join the brand’s existing blackcurrant, strawberry and NAS blackcurrant variants on shelf and mark the first time the NAS line has been extended beyond the original blackcurrant flavour.

The NPD comes just three weeks after Tesco announced it was axing all added-sugar juice drinks targeted at kids - but brand owner Lucozade Ribena Suntory denied the move was in response to this, saying the new lines were “part of an ongoing commitment” to offer products meeting a range of consumer needs.

The business also stressed that although full-sugar variants of Ribena were being removed from the kids’ drinks section of Tesco stores, they would continue to be available in other areas, including food-to-go fixtures.

“We take consumer calorie consumption seriously and recognise the need to ensure we have a robust NAS offering to meet changing consumer needs,” said marketing director Hannah Norbury. The brand, she added, was committed to informing consumers about the right drink, at the right time for the right occasion.

Ribena will be hoping the NPD builds on the £11.1m contributed by the existing RTD NAS juice drinks portfolio, which is growing 14.4% [Nielsen 52 w/e 18 July 2015].

The new NAS variants will benefit from a £6m brand campaign unveiled last month, covering TV, cinema, VOD, outdoor and bus-side ads, alongside in-store activity and social media. From September, experiential event the Ribenary Crazy Golf Course will tour the UK.