Coca-Cola Enterprises Announces the Launch of Coca-Cola Life™
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is reinforcing its commitment to innovation by announcing the launch of Coca-Cola Life™ in Great Britain (GB), which will be available later this year. First piloted in Argentina and Chile in 2013, this will be the first time it will be available in Europe. This lower-calorie cola contains a third less sugar and a third fewer calories than regular cola and is sweetened from natural sources.
Sweetened with a blend of sugar and naturally-sourced stevia leaf extract, a 330ml can of Coca-Cola Life contains 89 calories and features striking green branding that will join Coca-ColaTM, Diet CokeTM, and Coca-Cola ZeroTM on shelves from September. Coca-Cola Life is the first new Coca-Cola to be launched in GB since the arrival of Coca-Cola Zero in 2006.
The launch is designed to drive incremental growth in the soft drinks category by appealing to 35-55 year old consumers that are looking for a lower calorie cola with sweetness from natural sources.
Coca-Cola Life will be available to grocery, convenience and wholesale outlets in a 330ml can, 500ml PET bottle, 1.75L PET bottle, 6 x 330ml can multipack and 8 x 330ml can multipack at the same RRPs as the rest of the Coca-Cola range. The new product will be supported by in-store promotions, sampling and a marketing campaign that will include digital, outdoor and print.
This is the first time that stevia leaf extract has been used in the core Coca-Cola range and is the latest example of innovation from CCE. The launch of Coca-Cola Life follows a raft of portfolio innovations that offer greater consumer choice. Last March, it reduced the calorie content of Sprite by introducing stevia extract; it launched the smaller 250ml can across the Coca-Cola portfolio and, most recently, Coca-Cola announced a £20 million commitment to getting one milli
Coca-Cola is a public signatory to the Government’s Responsibility Deal and has committed to reduce the average calories per litre in its range of sparkling drinks by 5% by the end of 2014. More than 40% of the cola sold by CCE in GB is already no-calorie and the launch of Coca-Cola Life gives consumers even greater choice within the portfolio: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Life with a third fewer calories and two zero-calorie options in Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke.
A 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola Life will contain PlantBottle plastic – made using up to 22.5 per cent plant materials combined with up to 25 per cent recycled plastic. All packs will be fully recyclable and both the 330ml can and 1.75 litre PET bottle will contain recycled materials.
Like 97% of CCE products sold in GB, Coca-Cola Life will be made in GB and will be made at its factories in East Kilbride, Edmonton, Wakefield and Sidcup.
Nick Canney, VP Sales and Marketing at CCE, says: “The launch of Coca-Cola Life is an important part of our ongoing commitment to offer consumer choice for every occasion and meet changing lifestyle trends. Coca-Cola Life will sit alongside Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero, and is a truly differentiated proposition within the portfolio, providing consumers that are looking for a great tasting lower calorie cola with sweetness from natural sources.”
He continues: “Coca-Cola Life will also help to drive incremental growth of the total soft drinks category building upon our on-going strategy to bring new innovations to market. Last year CCE delivered 40% of the value generated by innovation within the category, which was worth £96m in sales to our customers.”
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