Magazine: Mixed flavours are flying high

Fruit juice sales have been growing for many years. The key drivers behind the 7-percent volume sales growth and the 12-percent increase in value sales were the following: willingness to purchase improved in the FMCG market in general, the mandatory use of online cash registers was introduced, schools and other public institutions’ cafeterias started serving juices and nectars instead of low fruit content fruit drinks because of the new law. Both manufacturer brands and private label products contributed to the sales growth. In packaging carton boxes continued their new conquest. Among retail channels discounters kept on gaining ground. SIÓ-Eckes Kft. is still market leader in the category, with a 22.6-percent share in value sales and 17.7 percent in volume sales (Nielsen data). Trade marketing manager Balázs Bogár told our magazine that mixed fruit flavours are increasingly popular: in 2014 this segment was developing the fastest, by 15.4 percent in volume and by 25 percent in value. In part this was made possible by the introduction of SIÓ classics’ mixed fruit sub-brand in 2013, as sales of these products soared 46.3 percent in volume and skyrocketed 47.6 percent in value in 2014. In April 2015 the company enters the market with SIÓ Apricot-Apple-Pear – this flavour combination was voted the most popular by consumers (46,217 votes were cast and the three finalist flavour combinations were tested by consumers). For those consumers who are keen on living a healthy lifestyle, SIÓ developed a new sub-brand, the SIÓ Aktív premium product line. There are added vitamins in these low-calorie products, which offer a fruit-vegetable taste. At www.siogyumolcs.hu and on the SIÓ Facebook page the company continues its loyalty programme. New packaging designs have also been made and in in-store communication SIÓ focuses on quality displays made of wood. 2014 was a very good year for Rauch Hungária Kft – brand manager Melinda Kun told Trade magazin. They put special emphasis on building the Happy Day brand, which is market leader in terms of both value and volume in the juice and nectar market – among branded product manufacturers in the December 2014-January 2015 period (Nielsen data). Happy Day offers the widest range of flavours in the fruit juice market: they have 22 types of 1-litre products. Last autumn the Happy Day garden fruit product line hit the shops in 3 flavour combinations – apple-elder, apple-pear and apple-plum – and with 100-percent fruit content. Other new products last year were Happy Day 3-litre, directly pressed fruit juices and Happy Day fruit syrups. In 2014 1-litre Happy Day and Bravo products appeared on store shelves with new-design packaging. Maspex Olympos Kft. is present with three key brands in the fruit juice market. Olympus fruit drinks have a stable market share among PET-bottle products and last year they received a new packaging. Two new product lines were also introduced: refreshing lemonade in lemon and elder flavours, in 1.5-litre PET bottle and Multivitamin in three versions, in 1-litre PET bottle – informed the company’s brand manager Anna Cholnoky. With 0.25-litre glass-bottle Topjoy products the company targets young consumers. In December new Topjoy flavours mango and cactus appeared in shops. KUBU is a children’s brand and is a market leader in its category. Kubu syrups hit the market last year and the launch is backed by a prize game between 16 March and 24 May 2015. Coca-Cola’s presence in the fruit juice market is realised via Cappy, which consists of 3 sub-brands: Cappy fruit juices and nectars, Cappy Pulpy and Cappy Ice Fruit drinks. Corporate affairs manager Péter Mucska stressed that the company is making great efforts to increase the proportion of Hungarian fruit in fruit juice production. Last summer they put Cappy Pulpy on the market in popular orange flavour and this year tropical fruits and peach will follow. Cappy Junior fruit juices and nectars will target children this year. They have relatively high fruit content, a playful design and a practical sports cap. Szobi fruit juice sales kept rising in 2014 and the first two months of 2015 were also good for the company – revealed Andrea Olaszi, sales director of Szobi Italgyártó Kft. Three years ago Szobi restarted operations by manufacturing products with lower fruit content because this category dominates the carton-box fruit juice market. However, at the end of 2014 they also came out with products in the 50-percent fruit content nectar segment: apple-strawberry, apple-sour cherry and tropical mix nectars were launched