Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - A Bit of Corbett
By: Richard Corbett
Each month, Richard Corbett casts his eye over the soft drinks & water categories.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Head Back to Nature's Larder
23 April 2013
In his latest comment piece for just-drinks, soft drinks & bottled water observer Richard Corbett tells us of his time out in the jungle, and what it taught him about the future for the category.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Innocent on all Charges
21 March 2013
Late last month, the Coca-Cola Co announced that it is set to take majority control of UK smoothie and juice producer Innocent. Sure enough, the cries of "sell-out" came thick and fast. But, Richard Corbett argues, the firm's tie-up with the world's biggest soft drinks company is not only a good thing; it's also vital for the brand's future growth.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Ribena and Lucozade: Cash In, or Invest?
19 February 2013
Earlier this month, UK pharmaceutical and "consumer healthcare" conglomerate GSK took a look at its Lucozade and Ribena brands, and set itself a choice: Does it sell the two, or does it look at setting up an investment programme? Richard Corbett considers the firm's dilemma.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Looking into the Crystal Ball for 2013
29 January 2013
This month, it's Richard Corbett's turn to take a guess at what the future holds for the soft drinks and bottled water categories.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - NPD in Europe in 2012; And the Winner is…
15 November 2012
Richard Corbett is keen to kick off the end-of-year review season. In this month's column, he looks back at the new product development arena in soft drinks in Europe.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - For Ladies of a Certain Age
11 October 2012
Richard Corbett believes he has found a consumer segment that is ripe for growth in the stagnant markets for soft drinks producers.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Britvic First to the Barr
19 September 2012
The biggest news to hit the soft drinks and bottle water categories in recent times is this month's announcement that AG Barr and Britvic are pondering a merger. Richard Corbett picks holes in the two company's portfolios, but not before he apologises.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Olympic Tension for Sports Drinks
21 August 2012
The flags have been folded away, the medals handed out and the Olympic flag handed to the Mayor of Rio: London 2012 is over and Richard Corbett, like many, enjoyed it. But, did sports drinks producers get as much from the Olympics as he did?
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Britvic's Bottle is Still Half Full
17 July 2012
Richard Corbett has some encouraging words for Britvic, and that's something the company will warmly welcome right now.
Comment – Soft Drinks & Water - Greek Soft Drinks in the Hands of the Gods
22 May 2012
Will they? Won't they? The plight of Greece and its people is a daily story across Europe and, as it appears more likely that the country will have to pull out of the Eurozone, the soft drinks and bottled water industry, like many others, is watching through its fingers as things unfold. Richard Corbett takes a look at the lay of the land and prays for sun.
Comment - SodaStream: Time to Get Busy with the Fizzy, Again
26 April 2012
Richard Corbett is in a reminiscing kind of mood this month. Let the fogs of time clear, and hear him discover a drink maker from his youth that could be due a comeback some time soon.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Stagnant Water in Western Europe
27 March 2012
At last week's Consumer Analyst Group of Europe conference, Danone faced up to the challenges its bottled water division faces in Western Europe. Richard Corbett concurs and sympathises. But, Richard warns, beware of the emerging markets: The rewards they promise come only from booming volumes.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Cans Fizz in Flat Europe
6 March 2012
In his latest commentary, Richard Corbett considers the rise, fall and rise again of the drinks can. The format is in the midst of a renaissance, and Corbett thinks the economic plight has played an unexpected role in the success story.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Red Bull Still Stimulates, 30 Years On
7 February 2012
One normally celebrates the birth, not the conception. But, it is 30 years since the Red Bull concept first started taking shape. Following the announcement late last month that the company is to build a new plant in Brazil, Richard Corbett investigates the secrets behind Red Bull's success.
Comment – Soft Drinks & Water - The French Should Look to Denmark
11 January 2012
Last week, the French authorities carried out their threat and introduced a tax on CSDs. Richard Corbett believes, however, that the French should look north, to Denmark, to see how effective - or not - such a move will be on a nation's pattern of consumption.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Learning to Live with Private Label
6 December 2011
The downturn has proved a fillip for private label soft drinks brands. In his last commentary of the year, Richard Corbett takes a look at the sub-category, and warns that the stigma attached to buying 'shops-own' is dead and buried.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Quenching China’s Thirst
25 October 2011
This month, Richard Corbett heads east and considers the potential - and the pitfalls - that China has for the soft drinks and water producers of the West.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Drinks for Grown-Ups
6 September 2011
In this month's soft drinks & water column, Richard Corbett take a look at the potential open to soft drinks targeted specifically at adults.
Comment - Soft Drinks & Water - Juice Prices: Welcome Back, Randolph and Mortimer?
26 July 2011
The case of rising commodity prices is a well-worn groove in our industry. For the juice category, however, prices haven't been rising, so much as sky-rocketing of late. Like all other sectors, juice producers are looking to the emerging markets to save their breakfast bacon, to go with their breakfast juice. Richard Corbett knows of two chaps who will be rubbing their hands with juicy glee.
Comment – Soft Drinks & Water - Drinking in a Downturn
7 July 2011
Nearly three years since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Richard Corbett assesses what we have learnt about the performance of 21st Century soft drinks in a recession.
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