Source: Highland Spring

The drinks come in at under 35 calories per can

Highland Spring is set to take on the likes of Dash, Ugly and San Pellegrino with a range of fruity sparkling water cans.

It has created a trio of flavours “inspired by Scotland” – Pear & Elderflower, Blackberry, Plum & Hibiscus, and Rhubarb & Ginger – which it said would tap a “huge opportunity” in flavoured sparkling waters (rsp: £1.15/330ml).

“The growth in the sparkling flavoured water category over the past year has been impressive,” said Highland Spring head of marketing Carol Saunders. “There is still significant headroom for more, with the provision of a well-known brand, such as Highland Spring, to drive awareness, trial and repeat purchase.”

The drinks are touted as offering a “fuller-flavoured” option from the brand compared to its core range, and come in at under 35 calories per can. They are made by combining Scottish sparkling water with fruit and herb flavourings before being “naturally sweetened” with apple juice.

“By offering a wider back-of-store range, with clear merchandising we can ultimately help to drive visibility, awareness, trial and further growth for the category,” added Saunders.

The launch will be backed by a marketing push spanning national ads, social media and “extensive” PR, as well as “a range of in-store activity focused around driving trial and repeat purchase”.

It’s the latest in a flurry of activity from the brand: earlier this month saw Highland Spring launch a new 10l ‘Hydration Pack’ designed to win back sales among shoppers buying in bulk and returning to big weekly shops because of the pandemic.

It comes on the back of a challenging year for the brand, whose value sales plummetted 25% (£36.9m) over the past year due to the collapse of on-the-go sales – although its volumes only fell 5.6% [Nielsen 52 w/e 30 January 2021].