The carbonated soft drink market is bubbling again

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/4.

Bojana Nenadovic
marketing director
Coca-Cola HBC
Magyarország

“In 2024 growth began: the carbonated soft drink category nearly reached the 2023 level in volume terms (it was only -0.5% lower), but in value terms sales were well above the inflation: +6.2% year-on-year”,

says Bojana Nenadovic, marketing director of Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország, citing NIQ data.

She adds that discount supermarket chains still account for a third of the market volume in Hungary, although their share has decreased a little, mainly due to the decline of private label products.

The category is slowly returning to 2023 volume levels

New flavours and exciting promotions

Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország held on to the biggest market share and had a record year in both the carbonated soft drink category and the cola category. Limited-edition Coca-Cola Creations variants are taking the Coca-Cola brand by storm. Consumers were recently introduced to the latest creation, which delivers the exciting flavours of the iconic Coca-Cola Zero and Oreo biscuits in a 0.25-litre aluminium can. A consumer favourite, Coca-Cola Vanilla returned to the portfolio at the end of 2024. They have a number of new products in the pipeline for this year. From March 2025 the latest tutti-frutti flavour of Fanta will be available in PET and aluminium can packaging. As for exciting national promotions, this year began with the Coke&Meal promotion in January, while in early February the Fanta&XBOX promotion was launched.

Expanding product range

Apenta’s light, 0% added sugar soft drink selection has been expanded this year with the addition of 8 new flavours and now strawberry and lemon Apenta Light are also available in shops.

Patrícia Peres
brand manager
Maspex Olympos

“In 2024 the Apenta functional vitamin drink came out with 3 new sparkling flavours. The most popular of these is the pomegranate-acai-red grape flavour Apenta+ Anti-Stress, which contains zinc, vitamins C and B. The white peach flavoured Apenta+ Immuno is boosted with vitamins D, C and B, while the pink grapefruit flavoured Apenta+ Boost helps to hydrate with 0% added sugar, vitamins C, B and magnesium”,

informs Patrícia Peres, senior brand manager of Maspex Olympos Kft.

Anett Novák
senior brand
manager
Maspex Olympos

Anett Novák, senior brand manager of Maspex Olympos Kft.:

“Last year the Topjoy portfolio was renewed with the addition of the Topjoy Tutti Frutti flavour. It contains B vitamins, it is energy-free, has no added sugar and it is made without sweeteners”

Impulse buying, and thus sales of small packs, increased as consumers gradually eased their previous cutbacks in shopping

DRS-related challenges

Last year anticipation and uncertainty surrounded the introduction of the DRS system, which was finally implemented without error or disruption.

Márton Vecsei
head of soft drink brands
HELL ENERGY
Magyarország

“Looking at the market dynamics, the consumer behaviour that accompanied the switch kept us nervous for a long time, but now we see that the initial frustration is subsiding and the collection system is working well”,

says Márton Vecsei, head of soft drink brands at HELL ENERGY Magyarország Kft. 

Eszter Homor
CEO
Art Water

“With the introduction of DRS, all the labels had to be replaced on products and existing labels had to be scrapped, which generated extra costs for companies. The DRS also meant that product listings at new partners were delayed by months”,

adds Eszter Homor, CEO of Art Water Kft.

Continuous renewal

Márton Vecsei calls attention to the fact that for XIXO 2024 was the most successful year ever: in terms of units sold, the brand grew by 37.5%. With XIXO the company’s goal is to innovate in the category. In the past Tutti Fruity products have shown a new direction and in 2024 the launch of the XIXO Lemonade range was a big hit. 2025 will be another busy year for XIXO, since not a quarter goes by without some kind of innovation – such as the fresh and exciting XIXO Tutti Fruity.

Hypermarkets,  supermarkets and  discounts have remained the primary sales channels of carbonated soft drinks

Klaudia Pécskövi
brand manager
Márka Üdítőgyártó

“We see a growing demand for products with innovative flavours and compositions, as well as for soft drinks that combine different flavours”,

says Klaudia Pécskövi, brand manager of Márka Üdítőgyártó Kft.

Retail sales of small (under 1 litre) carbonated soft drinks have increased by almost as much in absolute terms as sales of larger sizes, now accounting for 30% of total sales.

New image and dynamism

Sales by Márka Üdítőgyártó Kft. grew by 13% in unit terms in 2024. This year the spotlight is on renewal, evolution and change. They began a complete identity refresh, from logo to packaging and even communication messages. It is very important for the company to show that they are able to modernise, while preserving its values and responding to all consumer needs, explains Klaudia Pécskövi. In-Food 2000 Kft.’s

Vöslauer Balance Juicy product has been gaining popularity for years, mainly thanks to its great variety of flavours, high fruit content and natural, yet intense taste.

Mónika Inotay
marketing manager
In-Food 2000

“For conscious consumers it is very important that our soft drinks are based on premium quality, 15,000-year-old natural mineral water, extracted from a depth of 660 metres”,

says marketing manager Mónika Inotay.

Last year, the vitamin-fortified pomegranate-hibiscus flavour Vöslauer Balance Juicy Plus was a great success.

Natural and innovative

Art Water Kft.’s products contain only natural ingredients, which the company emphasises both on its labels and in its communication. Their soft drinks are marketed in PET bottle and glass bottle packaging. In 2024 their best-selling product was the 750ml Fizz Water, a lightly carbonated refreshment. The company is planning to put a 1,500ml version on the market and is also looking forward to launching new flavours. In 2025 they will continue to focus on the Fizz Water brand, informs Eszter Homor.

Brand innovations are being replaced more and more quickly by private label products, while a growing number of niche products with a shorter life cycle are currently on the shelves

Sándor Keller
sales director
Tutti Drink

Tutti Drink Kft. underwent a major strategic transformation in 2024. Instead of the previous distributor sales model, they started building their own sales team and direct sales network.

“Although this change has slowed down our growth in the short term, in the long term it makes a more sustainable and flexible operation possible. One of our biggest challenges at the moment is to get back into the international retail chains”,

explains sales director Sándor Keller.

Uncertainty surrounded the implementation of the DRS system, which ultimately went easier than expected

British elegance and Italian freshness

Érezhetően növekszik az igény a természetes alapanyagokból készülő termékek iránt is

András Tripolszky
commercial and marketing director
NEFT vodka, CE

“Fentimans is the leading brand among premium natural soft drinks in the UK and is chosen by more and more people around the world for its complex flavour”,

says András Tripolszky, commercial and marketing director of DunaPro.

In April a new premium lemonade range will enter the Hungarian market, courtesy of Foodnet Zrt.: Fonti di Crodo sparkling lemonades from Italy, made from Sicilian oranges and lemons, crystal clear Fonti di Crodo mineral water and a touch of sugar. It is available in three flavours: LemonSoda, OranSoda and LemonSoda Mojito.

Veronika Koczka
senior trade marketing
manager
Foodnet

“The taste experience offered by Fonti di Crodo lemonade speaks for itself, so we are focusing on tasting sessions. Its distinctive packaging is dynamic and eye-catching, which clearly distinguishes it from other products”,

we learn from senior trade marketing manager Veronika Koczka. //

In volume sales in the category underwent a minimal decline of 1% compared to the base period. The 11% rise in price levels was the main driver of the category’s value growth. Manufacturer brands dominate the carbonated soft drink market compared to the private labels of retailers: the value share of manufacturer brands was 92%, so private labels were at 8%. Plus branded products strengthened their positions over the last 12 months, with a 12% increase in value and a 3% hike in volume sales. 0.5-litre products sold 15% more in value and 11% more in volume than a year earlier, accounting for 29% of total market sales //