Magazine: Private labels are getting stronger among premium juices as well

The latest data by Nielsen do not reveal many new things to those who are familiar with the trends of the fruit juice market: sales continue to decline. Bálint Jencs, the marketing director of Rauch Hungária Kft. told Trade magazin that during the crisis many shoppers had quit buying fruit juice and they did not return after the economic situation started to improve; a part of consumers substituted more expensive products with cheaper ones. The premium category resisted the crisis the most. Györgyi Nagy, the PR-consultant of SIÓ-ECKES informed us that economic recession hit fruit drink consumers harder, while the buyers of high-quality premium juices stuck with their favourite brands. Although strong brands were standing firm, the price level of juices in general is way below last year’s level – even those who bought juices with a high fruit content tried to get them cheaper. Ágnes Chvojka, the brand manager of Maspex Olympos Kft. opined that the price level of the 100-percent segment decreased because cheaper private label products became stronger. According to Nielsen, in October 2009-September 2010 private label juices realised 53 percent of volume sales. Éda Pogány, communications director of Coca-Cola Hungary gave the issue another perspective: she observed that the manufacturers of premium products also try to make the best offers to customers. As a result of this, the premium category has become affordable to much more consumers than before and the proportion of products sold in promotion increased.

The winter months generate 15-20 percent higher turnover in the segment with higher fruit content, partly because people need more vitamins and partly because the concerned brands are more active. Báint Jencs told that in this period red fruit juices sell better because consumers know that red berry fruits are rich in vitamin C and have antioxidant effects. One of the novelties for the autumn-winter period is SIÓ Freshly Pressed Apple and Sour Cherry; besides the 100-percent fruit content these products do not contain any added material – not even water. Györgyi Nagy emphasised that there were still several opportunities in fruit processing and stressed the difference between product development (e.g. new packaging) and ‘real’ innovation (offering solutions non-existent on the market, entering new categories, e.g. SIÓ VitaTigris Fruit Purée). Rauch put two novelties on the market this autumn: freshly pressed Happy Day apple juice with a 100-percent fruit content and Hungarian-language packaging for Happy Day products made exclusively from Hungarian fruits.With the latter the goal was to better inform customers about the fact that the fruit juice was made exclusively from Hungarian base material. Next year they plan to introduce many new products, including completely new, category-establishing ones. This year Rauch will continue last year’s successful ready-made display programme. In Coca-Cola’s fruit juice portfolio the latest change was in the spring of 2010, when the Cappy Ice Fruit drink range came out with new flavour combinations. The company promoted the new flavours with tasting sessions. In the winter season it is not fruit juices that Maspex-Olympos concentrates on, but other, for instance instant products.