The Grocer Gold Awards 2026: Soft drinks brand of the year

Winner: Red Bull

Red Bull will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. If the energy drinks giant can match the 15.7% value sales growth it recorded over the past year, annual sales will surpass £1bn for the first time.

That milestone is testament to the brand’s relentless pursuit of growth and reflects its dominant position in a category that is booming. Red Bull now accounts for 37.3% of total category value in energy drinks thanks to a combination of high-impact NPD and retail plus standout OOH activations.

While core Red Bull still accounts for the majority of the brand’s sales, its burgeoning ‘Editions’ series and innovation in zero-sugar continue to attract new shoppers to the energy drinks fixture. Editions shopper numbers have climbed 14% year on year, after Red Bull launched its first ever Winter and Spring Editions in the past year. Meanwhile, Red Bull Zero, launched in January 2025, has delivered £13.6m in additional sales amid growing demand for sugar-free energy. 

Register your interest for The Grocer Gold Awards 2027

Beyond NPD, partnership and activation highlights included an Oxford Street takeover in the run-up to Christmas, the launch of a ‘Zero Excuses’ fitness challenge with Strava and a tie-up with Tesco quick commerce platform Whoosh. That partnership delivered two million organic and 9.2 million paid views and resulted in a 6.2% uplift in sales on Tesco Whoosh along with a 13.3% influx of new customers to the delivery platform.

Further embedding itself in popular culture, Red Bull ran an impressive roster of events across 2025, including its downhill mountain biking event Red Bull Hardline in Wales and live music battle Red Bull Sound Clash at London’s Drumsheds venue. The brand also continues to build awareness through sponsorship of mainstream sports teams including Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing and Premier League football outfit Leeds United.

Red Bull’s performance was “deeply impressive, especially for a mature brand,” said judges, “delivering category growth and a strong pipeline of product innovation through flavours”

“We expect big things to celebrate the 40th anniversary in 2027,” they added.

Shortlisted:

• Alpro
• Dash
• For Goodness Shakes
• Hip Pop
• Lucozade Sport
• Mockingbird Raw Press
• Red Bull
• Sanpellegrino
• Trip