Coca-Cola spruces up its juice drinks with new formats and flavours

Coca-Cola Enterprises is shaking up its Appletiser, Ocean Spray and Capri-Sun franchise brands.

The company is hoping new formats and flavours will boost Appletiser sales, which have fallen 3.1% to £9.4m in the past year [Nielsen 52 w/e 1 October 2011], and is expanding the range with a 1.25-litre PET bottle next month, followed by a 350ml PET bottle in April.

It is also axing brand extension Fruitiser and replacing it with Grapetiser in white and red variants in February. A CCE product called Grapetiser had been sold in the UK about seven years ago, but did not have the right format, flavour or support programme, said Bruce Scott, CCE cross-franchise brands senior manager.

Meanwhile, three 100% juice products are being added to Ocean Spray’s ambient range later this month. At the end of next month the chilled offering is being relaunched with three new 100% juice flavours and a move from cartons to PETs.

Capri-Sun will also be given a new flavour - mango - this month. The addition comes ahead of a wider brand tie-up with TV channel 4Music from April, part of a £3m push.