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Refresco Group B.V., the global independent beverage solutions provider for Global, National and Ernerging (GNE) brands, and retailers in Europe and North America, announced that Adee Packer has stepped down as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Member ofthe Executive Board.

Bill McFarland, CFO of Refresco North America, will be appointed as CFO for the Group, effective 1 July 2022. Bill joined the Company through the acquisition of Cott Beverages, where he was CFO since 2013, and has over 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. Prior to his career at Cott, Bill held several finance rotes at Molson Coors, an international beverage company. He has worked and lived in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Andre Voogt, M&A Director Refresco North America, will step into the rote of CFO Refresco North America, also effective 1 July 2022. Andre has been with Refresco for over 15 years, mainly in senior finance rotes. When Refresco set its first steps in North America in 2016, Andre led the local finance organization. From 2018 to2020, Andre was responsible for the integration of Cott Beverages into Refresco, and member of the North America Leadership Team.

Refresco, one of the world’s largest independent bottlers for retailers and A-brands in Europe and North America, today announces it has entered into an agreement to acquire HANSA-HEEMANN. This transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

HANSA-HEEMANN, headquartered in Rellingen, Germany, is a family-owned, independent beverage manufacturer with five production sites spread across Germany. Its operational excellence, industry expertise and integrated value chain enable HANSA-HEEMANN to offer customers best-in-class service. The vast majority of HANSA-HEEMANN’s volume (60 %) is in mineral water, with the remaining 40 % of its volume in carbonated soft drinks (CSD). HANSA-HEEMANN serves three different market segments: private label, own brands, and contract manufacturing for A-brands. HANSA-HEEMANN employs over 800 people with an annual revenue of approximately €300 million.

Strategic rationale

Today’s announcement is a continuation of Refresco’s successful buy-and-build strategy which is a key driver of the company’s ongoing growth and value creation. With this acquisition, Refresco further enhances its position in terms of product and brand portfolio, and geographical coverage.

Acquiring HANSA-HEEMANN will bring Refresco:

  • Diversification of its business with additional products and capabilities, while maintaining a well-balanced business mix and customer base
  • Strong brands such as Fūrst Bismarck, hella and St. Michaelis
  • Expansion of its offering in water and CSDs
  • Increased presence in Germany, now offering nationwide coverage to retail customers
  • Acceleration of its operational excellence through HANSA-HEEMANN’s know-how in the water category

A changing market

Water is the largest category within the non-alcoholic beverage market. The landscape is highly competitive and rapidly changing with many smaller local and regional players who maintain a strong foothold. Branded players with a wide range of water products are looking for opportunities to grow with retail discounters.

In addition, the focus on sustainability continues resulting in for example, increased demand for recycled PET and reduction in operational carbon footprint.

Within this highly competitive and changing market, the acquisition of HANSA-HEEMANN will enable Refresco to enhance its presence in Germany – not only broadening relationships with German retailers, but also improving transport efficiencies and reducing CO2 emissions. Furthermore, Refresco will be able to leverage its global scale to further drive change in improving the sustainable use of resources.

Hard seltzer brand officially launches into the hard beverage category with four electric flavours

The hard seltzer brand was first introduced to consumers in August 2020 as part of the brand’s soft launch in test markets across the U.S. The newest product to hit shelves will reflect a new, eye-catching packaging update featuring a sleek and modern design and enhanced logo based off learnings from the soft launch.

“We are thrilled to introduce a new alternative to the adult beverage world that delivers the taste our consumers are looking for while shattering the expectations of what everyone has come to expect from hard seltzer,” said CEO of Sparkling Ice Spiked, Chris Hall. “With full flavor and zero sugar, we’re confident that the new Sparkling Ice Spiked will satisfy your hard seltzer cravings and quickly become your go-to beverage for everyday entertaining, outdoor grilling, and weekend escapes.”

Along with the product launch, the team behind Sparkling Ice Spiked is also launching a nationwide sales and marketing campaign. The campaign will come to life through in-person and at-home activations, including in-store POS and holiday promotions, earned media outreach and mailers, influencer programming, targeted digital media and banner ads, paid social, and more.

Sparkling Ice Spiked variety packs are available now at select retailers across the U.S.

About Sparkling Ice Spiked™
Sparkling Ice Spiked hard seltzer is made with zero sugar and combines sparkling water, real fruit flavor, and 4 % alcohol made from cane sugar. With only 80 calories, Sparkling Ice Spiked offers a full-flavoured ready-to-drink hard selzter in four satisfying flavours: Cherry Lime Cooler, Lemonade Refresher, Ruby Fizz, and Strawberry Citrus Smash. Sparkling Ice Spiked is based in Preston, Washington, with products available at select retail locations nationwide.

The latest research from Mintel* reveals the online grocery market is forecast to grow by 33 % in 2020 to reach an estimated value of £16.8 billion, up from £12.7 billion in 2019. This phenomenal rise follows four consecutive years of slowing growth: in 2019 growth fell to a historic low of just 2.9 %. The market is set to be worth £17.9 billion by 2024, growing by 41 % over the five year period.

Online shopping behaviour as a whole

This comes as Mintel reveals a dramatic change in online shopping habits over the COVID-19 lockdown period, habits that Mintel believes could prove lasting. In the very early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the UK, before social distancing measures were announced, 7 % of Brits increased the total amount of online shopping (both food and non-food)**. In the space of fewer than two months, online shopping has seen a dramatic boost with the number of consumers who say they’ve increased their online shopping rising to 36 %***.

Meanwhile, 50 % of Brits have tried to limit the time they spend in-store, while a further 9% have used click-and-collect more ***.

Nick Carroll, Associate Director of Retail Research at Mintel, said:
“Over the course of just a few months, COVID-19 has had a seismic impact on Britain’s grocery sector. The pandemic is giving a significant short-term boost to online grocery services, as shoppers look to avoid stores and limit their contact with the outside world. However, the impact will last beyond the crisis. Shopper numbers in the online grocery market have plateaued in recent years as retailers struggled to get new customers to try these services. The outbreak is bringing a new audience to online grocery, and this should boost the market long term with strong growth forecast through to 2024. While there is currently a significant disruption to the online grocery market, with some retailers not accepting new customers, this will ease in the short-term as more capacity is brought online.”

Over 65s still face challenges shopping online

The current guidelines, which ask those aged 70 and over to remain at home, mean that older shoppers are more heavily reliant on having groceries and other goods delivered. But while some older Brits are experienced in ordering online, they are by far the minority. Less than three in 10 (28 %) UK internet users aged 65+ were online grocery shoppers prior to the COVID outbreak****. However, Mintel’s latest research shows that 37 % of over 65s have increased the amount of online shopping they’ve done since the outbreak began***.

But while some Brits are going online for their grocery requirements, many are relying on the kindness of friends and family – as a quarter (24 %) of consumers aged under 44 say they have been helping friends/family and/or neighbours with their shopping.

Nick Carroll, Associate Director of Retail Research at Mintel, said:
“Older generations that had previously shied away from online grocery have, effectively, been forced to change their habits in the face of social distancing measures. While there has been a rise in online grocery shopping among the over 65s, the reality is a significant number of consumers in the older age groups have no experience shopping online for groceries and/or are not digitally native. There is a real need to ensure access to online grocery deliveries for older consumers. We’re seeing some retailers already thinking of easier ways to order goods, including phone orders for next-day delivery.”

* Mintel’s latest estimates as of 23 April 2020; subject to change based on ongoing research and economic shifts.
** Research conducted 28 February-13 March
*** Research conducted 16-23 April
**** Research conducted in December 2019

Last year’s hot summer boosted UK water drinks consumption by more than 7 % to 4,267 million litres, according to a new report from food and drink experts Zenith Global. This was worth an estimated £ 3,330 million at retail prices.

Sales of plain bottled water in retail packs increased by 7.9 % to 3.4 billion litres, whilst sales of flavoured, functional and juicy waters rose by 7.2 %.

A key driver behind the growth was the warmest summer on record, according to the Met Office. The new soft drinks levy from April 2018, on products with a higher added sugar content, appears to have had a limited impact, after most manufacturers pre-emptively reformulated many products to avoid the tax.

Pressure undoubtedly increased on producers to improve their environmental profile. For the first time, the report documents packaging innovations such as recycled content as well as examining initiatives in recycling and deposit return schemes.

Zenith Global predicts that the UK market will continue to grow robustly, but at a slower pace than in recent years. “Our forecasts to 2023 show an upward trend of 3 – 5 % a year,” commented Zenith Global Senior Consultant Robin Bell. “Debate about plastic and recycling are likely to remain centre stage and we expect to see more packaging from alternative materials becoming mainstream,” he concluded.

GfK has carried out a comprehensive analysis of the European retail scene in 32 European countries. The study examines purchasing power, the retail share of private consumption, inflation and sales area productivity, and also includes a turnover prognosis for 2018.

Please download the complete study for free under: https://bit.ly/2vT3cEi