Clearly Drinks launch looks to emulate US flavoured sparkling water trends in UK - market data

UK drinks company Clearly Drinks has launched a zero-sugar flavoured sparkling water as it targets an already-booming category in the US.

Upstream contains three calories per can and rolls out in three flavours - Grapefruit & Bergamot, Lime & Pomegranate and Cucumber & Mint. The range is aimed at "health-conscious consumers looking for "something different", the company said.

UK trends for low-calorie sparkling water are behind those in the US, where brands such as National Beverage Corp's La Croix, Talking Rain's Sparkling Ice and PepsiCo's Bubly are helping to drive bottled water sales.

According to GlobalData, sparkling flavoured water volumes in North America were up double-digits last year as they took share from CSDs. A recent report says flavoured water's capture of carbonated volumes has been "a major driver of its overall growth" in the US. It also says some companies were launching products in cans to "smooth the consumer transition" from carbonates to flavoured water.

According to the report, Western European demand for carbonated flavoured water is weaker than in the US, although volumes were up in the UK in 2018.

Clearly Drinks, which makes the Perfectly Clear range of flavoured bottled water, will roll out Upstream in the UK for GBP0.99 (US$1.30) per 33cl can.

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