Market Share: Nonalcohol Beverages
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
More than 31% of c-store packaged-beverage sales came from CSDs in 2015, while energy drinks edged up to nearly 28% of the pie, according to Nielsen.
Subcategory | Dollar share | PCYA* | Unit sales (Millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbonated soft drinks | 31.1% | 23.3% | 58.8 | 21.7% |
| Energy drinks | 27.7% | 9.5% | 74.6 | 10.0% |
| Water | 12.8% | 4.6% | 57.9 | 2.5% |
| Sports drinks | 9.9% | 2.1% | 37.3 | 4.0% |
| RTD tea | 5.6% | (6.6%) | 25.1 | (7.0%) |
| Fruit drinks | 4.4% | 14.3% | 29.3 | 15.1% |
| Fruit juice | 3.4% | 94.0% | 11.3 | 95.0% |
| RTD coffee | 2.7% | (10.0%) | 19.3 | (5.6%) |
| Others*** | 2.2% | 3.8% | 11.5 | 2.8% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | * Percent change from a year ago | *** Beverages with less than 2% dollar share
Big Number
0.9% —Decline in c-store unit sales of CSDs in 2015, per Nielsen
Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
C-store dollar sales of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) rose nearly 2% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015, while units were off nearly 1% and volumes dropped 3%, according to Nielsen. The only segment showing dollar and unit growth was low-calorie noncola CSDs, although its volumes fell 1%. According to IRI figures for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015, c-store dollar sales of CSDs rose 3.8% to reach $9.0 billion, while units rose 1.8%.
Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs)
| CSD type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Volume sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $6,659.5 | 2.1% | 4,042.5 | (0.7%) |
| Low-calorie | $1,829.5 | 0.8% | 1,105.1 | (1.2%) |
| Total | $8,489.0 | 1.9% | 5,147.6 | (0.9%) |
Noncola CSDs
| CSD type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Volume sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $4,118.0 | 2.5% | 2,541.3 | (0.6%) |
| Low-calorie | $753.9 | 6.8% | 467.5 | 5.0% |
| Total noncola | $4,871.9 | 3.2% | 3,008.9 | 0.2% |
Cola CSDs
| CSD type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Volume sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $2,541.5 | 1.6% | 1,501.2 | (1.0%) |
| Low-calorie | $1,075.6 | (3.0%) | 637.5 | (5.4%) |
| Total cola | $3,617.1 | 0.2% | 2,138.7 | (2.3%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | * Percent change from a year ago
Big Number
5.0% —Increase in c-store unit sales of low-calorie, noncola CSDs in 2015, according to Nielsen
Regular and Low-Calorie CSDs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Unit sales of regular and low-calorie CSD units in c-stores were off in 2015, Nielsen figures show.
Regular
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dew (20-oz.) | $729.6 | 2.6% | 463.7 | (1.6%) |
| Coca-Cola (20-oz.) | $561.9 | 7.1% | 343.6 | 2.6% |
| Dr Pepper (20-oz.) | $372.0 | 6.2% | 228.4 | 2.0% |
| Pepsi (20-oz.) | $346.5 | 2.2% | 217.3 | (1.9%) |
| Sprite (20-oz.) | $214.2 | 14.0% | 129.6 | 9.4% |
| Total** | $6,659.5 | 2.1% | 4,042.5 | (0.7%) |
Low-calorie
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diet Coke (20-oz.) | $252.0 | 1.2% | 154.9 | (2.8%) |
| Diet Mountain Dew (20-oz.) | $224.7 | (1.0%) | 143.6 | (5.0%) |
| Diet Pepsi-Cola (20-oz.) | $164.3 | 2.7% | 103.1 | (1.3%) |
| Diet Dr Pepper (20-oz.) | $131.5 | 3.9% | 81.1 | 0.2% |
| Coke Zero (20-oz.) | $88.9 | 5.3% | 54.1 | 1.1% |
| Total** | $1,829.5 | 0.8% | 1,105.1 | (1.2%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
20-Ounce CSDs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
C-store unit sales of 20-ounce CSDs rose nearly 2% in 2015, with Mountain Dew the top variety, according to Nielsen.
Regular
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dew | $729.6 | 2.6% | 463.7 | (1.6%) |
| Coca-Cola | $561.9 | 7.1% | 343.6 | 2.6% |
| Dr Pepper | $372.0 | 6.2% | 228.4 | 2.0% |
| Pepsi | $346.5 | 2.2% | 217.3 | (1.9%) |
| Diet Coke | $252.0 | 1.2% | 154.9 | (2.8%) |
| Total** | $4,727.3 | 5.8% | 3,001.7 | 1.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
Continued: UPC, Package Size & Price Trends
Category Insight
According to Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG), look to these three big CSD trends for 2016:
- Continued customization of packaging: New brands with differentiated packaging, as well as established brands (e.g., Dr Pepper’s 2016 “Pick-a-Pepper” program), will keep making CSDs personal.
- Snack bundling promotions: The rise of the snacking trend will provide more opportunities for beverage tie-ins as c-stores compete heavily against traditional quick-service-restaurants for on-the-go consumers.
- Glass bottles continue to shine: These vinyl records of the CSD world may be a small segment, but their vintage cachet makes them increasing popular.
Quarterly Look: CSD UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015
According to IRI figures, c-store dollar and unit sales of CSDs were up in the final quarter of 2015, with five of the top 10 UPCs seeing gains.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dew (20-oz.) | $185.9 | 3.8% | 117.2 | 0.9% |
| Coca-Cola (20-oz.) | $148.8 | 8.0% | 89.8 | 5.0% |
| Dr Pepper (20-oz.) | $99.5 | 6.5% | 61.2 | 3.7% |
| Pepsi (20-oz.) | $87.7 | 5.2% | 54.7 | 1.3% |
| Diet Coke (20-oz.) | $67.4 | 1.5% | 40.8 | (1.3%) |
| Diet Mountain Dew (20-oz.) | $61.2 | (0.9%) | 38.6 | (3.8%) |
| Coca-Cola (12 12-oz. cans) | $54.0 | (1.8%) | 10.5 | (2.7%) |
| Sprite (20-oz.) | $53.8 | 12.0% | 32.3 | 9.0% |
| Mountain Dew (1-liter) | $51.9 | 1.2% | 26.7 | (0.4%) |
| Coca-Cola (2-liter) | $44.2 | (2.2%) | 23.7 | (2.8%) |
| Total** | $2,191.4 | 2.4% | 1,283.0 | 1.5% |
Source: IRI | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
CSD Package-Size Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
The 20-ounce package size dominates the c-store channel’s CSD dollar sales.
Unit Sales
| Package size | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|
| 20-oz. | 3,001.7 | 1.7% |
| 2-liter | 484.7 | (4.0%) |
| 1-liter | 392.5 | (3.9%) |
| 12-pack, 12-oz. cans | 149.0 | (9.2%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | * Percent change from a year ago
Dollar Sales
| Package size | Dollar share |
|---|---|
| 20-oz. | 55.7% |
| 12-pack, 12-oz. cans | 8.5% |
| 2-liter | 10.3% |
| 1-liter | 9.0% |
| All others**** | 16.5% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | **** Package sizes with less than 1% dollar share
Consumer in Focus
According to Technomic, regular CSDs ranked among millennials’ top five packaged-beverage choices in all day-parts. The beverage was the top choice for lunch, dinner and snack, and ranked third-most-popular for breakfast. Thirty-four percent of millennials surveyed by Technomic said they were purchasing regular CSDs more often, compared to 22% who said they were purchasing them less often. Millennials were more likely to say they were purchasing diet CSDs less often (28%) than more often (25%).
CSD Price Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Six-packs saw the biggest increase in retail price per case during 2015, according to Nielsen c-store data.
| Package type | Average price per 288-oz. case | Price increase |
|---|---|---|
| 20-ounce bottle | $22.68 | $0.87 |
| 12-pack, 12-oz. cans | $9.68 | $0.36 |
| 2-liter | $7.66 | $0.03 |
| 1-liter | $16.68 | $0.49 |
| 6-pack, 12-oz. cans | $18.75 | $6.46 |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.
CSD Flavor Trends
Regular noncolas contributed nearly 49% of c-store CSD dollar sales in 2015, while all noncolas supplied more than 57% of category sales, according to Nielsen.
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. | *** Flavors with less than 2% volume share
Packaged Beverages: What to Watch
Bottled Water
Fruit Juice and Fruit Drinks
Specialty: Energy, Sport, Tea, Coffee
Alcohol
CMOY Alcohol Beverages: Damian Wyatt
CMOY Packaged Beverages: Gary Woods
View the full 2016 Category Management Handbook
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