Bacardi is replacing its two Bacardi Breezer ranges with a single lower calorie offer that it hopes will win over women who usually steer clear of RTDs.

The first variants of Bacardi Breezer 100 Calories, which is 65 calories lighter than a standard Breezer, will replace the Raspberry, Blueberry and Pomegranate variants in the Half Sugar range.

Standard Bacardi Breezer variants, including Pineapple, Watermelon, Coconut and Mango, will move to 100 Calories from next month.

There will also be a rolling launch of new flavours. The orange variant will be the only one still available in the original format.

The new look bottles feature labels designed to “bring each flavour’s’ personality to life and increase standout on shelf”, said the company.

They would appeal to women who wanted a lower calorie RTD or who wanted more transparency about calorie content, said Nik Krys, senior brand manager for the Bacardi Breezer range.

“We have taken changing consumer habits into account when developing the range,” he said. “There is little understanding of the number of calories in alcoholic drinks. We’re confident our loyal consumers will enjoy the 100 Calories range as a more informed choice.”

Bacardi said it was investing heavily in an integrated marketing campaign to support the new launch.

Despite declining sales elsewhere in the RTD category, Bacardi Breezer put in a strong performance over Christmas, with sales at Tesco up 13.4% versus last December, according to Tesco EPoS data. Sales for the full year were up 15.5%.

“Bacardi Breezer has always been popular during the festive season and December 2008 was no exception,” said Krys. “The brand has a very loyal consumer base.”

The 100 Calories range will be available in packs of four (rsp £4.50) and in single 70cl bottles (rsp £2.99).

Other RTD makers have reported falling sales. Last week, Diageo announced its overall net sales in the UK were down 1%, due to a continuing decline in sales of RTDs such as Smirnoff Ice, and beer.

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