GLOBAL: Flavoured vodka sales stall - research

By Ben Cooper | 4 February 2014

Are vodka brand owners witnessing the bursting of the flavoured bubble?

A new report from just-drinks has suggested that the dynamism and growth of the flavoured vodka category, for so long one of the key engines behind the vodka sector, is in decline.

According to 'just-drinks on-trend: vodka flavours review', which has been published this week, while the flavoured sector has provided the growth within a becalmed overall vodka category in recent years, the growth in the flavoured market has been slowing down. The flavoured vodka market increased in 2012 by 5.6% to 23.3m cases, but this represented a slowdown from the 7.8% achieved in 2011 and the 9% growth registered in 2010.

While the growth in flavoured vodka is declining, the number of new flavoured product launches per year has continued to rise, according to the just-drinks Launchpad database, although the pace of new product development is also slowing.

Some 21 new flavoured products hit the market in 2011, with more than double the following year (44). While 2013 saw 50 new flavoured launches, the just-drinks report points out that this represents only a 14% increase from 2012, versus the 110% change seen between 2011 and 2012.

"This suggests that brand owners are reacting but are behind the consumption trend curve," the report warns.

For further details on this research, click here.

Expert analysis

just-drinks on-trend: vodka flavours review

In the first of a new “on-trend” series, just-drinks dives a little deeper than usual into this trend-in-flux. In this mini-report, we look at recent vodka flavour consumption volume, focusing on the key US market. We combine market assessment with analysis of our product launch data. We review the current and likely future strategies of the key flavour players, and we attempt to lay out the likely short-term outlook for this developing trend.

Sectors: Spirits