Britvic is hoping to create a £200m category with the launch of super-concentrated squash that can make 20 drinks but fits in the palm of a hand.

Robinsons Squash’d is sold in a 7cm high bottle containing 66ml of liquid - but makes the same amount of squash as a standard one-litre bottle. It is designed to be carried in a pocket or handbag and squeezed into a 500ml bottle or glass of water to make up to 20 drinks.

Squash’d will roll out to Tesco in January in three flavours- summer fruits, apple & blackcurrant and orange & peach - and will be in full retail distribution by March. The flavours are aimed at a target market of 25 to 35-year-olds - an age when consumers often drop out of the squash market - while the portable format, which features a valve and flip-top cap to prevent spills, is designed for the office, on the go or at home.

The product is set to tap into rising consumer demand for flavoured waters, which have grown 8.9% by value year on year while the squash market has grown 4.3% [Nielsen 52 w/e 16 November 2013].

Squash’d will sell at a considerable premium to standard, at an rsp of £2.49 compared with the £1.49 rsp of a one-litre bottle of Robinsons.

Britvic has high hopes for “portable pocket squash”, which it said had grown to $300m in the US in two years following the success of products such as Mio and a Kool Aid liquid.

“We estimate portable pocket squash could become a £200m category in five years,” said Helen Gorman, brand controller for Robinsons. “We would expect to see other suppliers launch into this market, including private label.”

Gorman said a bespoke fixture had been developed for the range as had shelf-ready packaging. The launch will be supported with promotions and a “multimillion” marketing campaign.

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