Britvic is working on a range of new soft drinks to help pubs gain more business when the smoking ban comes into force.
Outlining a £7m investment in innovation this year, the company is reworking a number of key lines, including Pepsi, as
well as looking to bring different products
to market.
The first is likely to be Really Wild Drinks, a set of six 100% natural juice drinks aimed at teenagers. The drink comes in 250ml cans with a six-month shelf life, is free from preservatives and is said to contain no sugar, colourings or artificial sweeteners.
The range has been developed to comply with new Government guidelines for soft drinks in schools, where the drink will be launched initially.
In addition, Andrew Marsden, Britvic's marketing director, said it was working with pub groups to ensure they had the right products in place to cope with the smoking ban. Pubs need to be prepared for new consumers, especially more families and women. From July pubs will be about much more than selling beer and they need to
be prepared."
In addition, Britvic is refreshing its range of soft drinks in pubs and putting more emphasis on healthy ingredients.
A redesign for Pepsi will spearhead the company's on-trade activity. A new-look bottle will be the main change to help it better compete with rival Coke.
The Britvic range of mixers will also receive a makeover and move to non-returnable bottles. Two new lines - cranberry and ginger beer - will also be introduced.
Tango will undergo significant changes, including a new recipe and a rebranding
to focus on the more "natural flavours
and colours" of the revamped carbonated drinks range.