Coca-Cola has reintroduced a lemon-flavoured cola to its permanent lineup.
Coca-Cola Lemon was sold in the UK until being discontinued in 2006, but a version of the drink would return to supermarket shelves from next month, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) confirmed.
Original Taste Lemon (rsp: £1/330ml) and Zero Sugar Lemon (rsp: £0.86/330ml) would combine “the much-loved taste of Coca-Cola with a bold blast of citrus”, CCEP said.
Available in 330ml cans and 500ml rPET bottles for on-the-go occasions and larger two-litre (Zero Sugar Lemon) and 1.75-litre (Original Taste Lemon) formats for home consumption, the NPD would “meet growing consumer demand for innovation in colas”, it added.
Citing NIQ data, CCEP said flavoured colas were “growing ahead of the colas segment as a whole”. It said the segment was “a real opportunity for retailers”.
Presently, Coca-Cola’s flavoured colas lineup includes Original Taste and Zero Sugar Cherry, as well as Zero Sugar Vanilla. Combined, their sales are worth £118m [NIQ 52 we 31 December 2023].
CCEP would be “investing in our range of flavours throughout 2024” to help retailers tap into the flavoured colas segment, according to Rob Yeomans, vice-president, commercial development at CCEP GB.
“Consumers that order Coca-Cola in a pub will be used to seeing it served with ‘ice and a slice’, which for many is the ideal refreshment on a hot summer day,” Yeomans said. “Our new Lemon flavour will help us to bring that iconic pairing into retail, with a full-on zing flavour to deliver a taste that we know consumers will love – with and without sugar.”
The launch of Original Taste Lemon and Lemon Sugar Free would be supported by “a large-scale integrated marketing campaign” comprising sampling, out-of-home, social media and in-store activations, CCEP said.
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