US: Coke's Vault tops list of best-selling launches

The best-selling new US beverage in 2007 was Vault, a soft drink owned by Coca-Cola Co., which hit sales of $70m, according to industry analysts IRI.

Heineken Premium Light was the best-selling new alcoholic beverage with sales of $63m, according to the report.

Vault was third in a list of best-selling new food and beverage brands in the US in 2007. The list measured total year one dollar sales across food, drug and mass channels, excluding Wal-Mart.

Campbell's reduced-sodium soup topped the list with sales of US$101m last year, IRI said today (7 March) in its New Product Pacesetters report.

Bird's Eye steamfresh frozen vegetables was at number two in the list with sales of $87m.

Gatorade A.M. Sports Drinks came in fourth on the list with sales of $70m, whilst Jazz Diet Pepsi came in at number 10 with sales of $56m. Heineken finished sixth overall.    

"These brands are case studies in how to surpass abysmally low new product success rates in the consumer packaged good marketplace, where less than 5% of new brands reach $50m in year one sales," said Anne Berlack, executive vice president, of IRI Business and Consumer Insights.

Berlack said the functional category would be the sector to watch in the US in 2008. "During the next year, demand will explode for functional food and beverages that deliver health benefits beyond basic nutrition," she said.