Energy for everybody!

Energy drinks have lost their exclusivity, but this isn’t bad news for retailers, as quantities have been boosted. – Things have changed completely – says László Boros, sales director of Büki Üdítő Kft.– Practically all age groups consume energy drinks now. It has become a functional product, consumed in everyday life. Night Clubs and petrol stations remain the primary sales channels for energy drinks, where premium brands dominate. Other stores are however, coming up rapidly. According to Ibolya Szabó from Coca-Cola Magyarország, sales of “B” brands and private labels now account for a half of total sales, and as a result the average price is pushed down. On one hand, the growing popularity of energy drinks is good for us, but on the other hand, the success of “B” and private label brands is a serious problem for us in the short run – says Balázs Ruip, marketing manager of Red Bull Kft. A number of innovations have appeared in the category. – Regarding Burn, innovation has been important. Its packaging, flavour and colour were all new and we intend to keep following this trend – says Ibolya Szabó. Burn has brought a new, mixed fruit flavour into the market, with a 0,25 litre, designer aluminium bottle, in addition to the traditional can. Both glow in UV light. Bomba! adopted a different approach by using a glass bottle for Classic, which remains their most popular product. The two new versions, the 320 Can and Sugar Free come in cans, however. Red Bull has only Sugarfree as an alternative version, which was created in response to the general popularity of “light” products. Instead of numerous versions, Red Bull focuses on marketing, using the biggest budget in the segment. We do not like to define a target group, in the conventional sense at least. We want to supply masses of people – says Beáta Borcsik, brand manager of Candy-Globe Kft, the distributor of Hell. – I think image is more important than the product in this market – she adds.