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Innovation keeps sports drinks on track

Global sports drinks consumption advanced 5.9% to 11,582 million litres in 2007, according to the new Global Sports Drinks report from leading food and drink consultancy Zenith International. North America retained pole position as the largest sports drinks market, with a 48% volume share. Yet it was emerging regions, particularly East Europe and the Middle East, that experienced the most impressive growth rates.

"In well developed markets, momentum has been driven by consumer interest in health and wellness. New formulation and ingredient developments have also helped to broaden consumption occasions and target new consumer segments," commented Zenith Market Intelligence Director Gary Roethenbaugh. "There is now a plethora of products available for all age and activity levels. More recent innovations include low calorie variants for calorie conscious consumers, drinks specifically formulated for active children and dairy-based recovery drinks".

Further key findings from the 2008 Global Sports Drinks report include:

  • Global sports drinks market value grew 1.1% in 2007 to approximately 18.5 billion.
  • Global consumption per person was 1.8 litres last year.
  • Gatorade from PepsiCo and Powerade from The Coca-Cola Company continue to be the leading global brands.
  • Asia Pacific is the second largest region by volume, with Japan and China accounting for 70% of this.
  • Recent new product launches indicate a continuing trend towards sport-energy hybrids, dairy-based recovery drinks and sports drinks that use natural ingredients - such as coconut water, a natural isotonic.

By 2012, Zenith anticipates that the global sports drinks market will reach 15.5 billion litres, a rise of 33% over the period, taking average annual consumption to 2.3 litres per person.

The 2008 Zenith Report on Global Sports Drinks contains 113 pages, providing commentary plus detailed tables and charts for 59 countries. Contact Zenith International on tel +44 (0)1225 327900 or e-mail info@zenithinternational.com.

For further information, please contact:

Gary Roethenbaugh or Charmaine Holmes, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900, f +44 (0)1225 327901
zenithinternational.com