UK – Leading ready-to-drink tea brand Lipton Ice Tea is relaunching its range in a modernized design, with a packaging makeover for all flavors.
The move comes along with a reduction of sugar content across the main product range of Peach, Lemon, and Green Mint & Lime.
Britvic, which has the marketing rights to Lipton Ice Tea, said that the reduction in sugar will target the increasing number of customers who want lower sugar options without any compromise on taste.
The new and updated drinks will retain Lipton’s fruity taste and provide shoppers with a lower-sugar alternative, without reducing the flavor. The improved range will be available in all distribution channels from this month.
The latest Lipton Ice Tea recipes will allow Britvic to provide customers with a healthier choice as part of its Healthier People sustainability strategy.
As the leading brand in ready-to-drink tea, Lipton Ice Tea’s value grew + 27 % in 2022 with further opportunities to grow as it taps into the 50% of shoppers who choose food and drink products with reduced or no sugar content.
As a soft drinks segment, ready-to-drink tea represents a trade-up opportunity for retailers, holding a price point of £2.43 per liter on average, versus the wider soft drinks’ £1.34 per liter.
This represents a premium option for consumers, and allows retailers to offer a full range of soft drinks which caters to multiple tastes and wallets.
Last year, Britvic launched many low or no-calorie drinks with an average of around 14 calories per serve across its UK portfolio.
Britvic snapped up the marketing rights for Lipton Ice Tea through a UK bottling agreement with Pepsi Lipton International in 2009.
Pepsi Lipton International is a joint venture between PepsiCo and Unilever and Ice Tea was previously distributed by Unilever. However, Unilever maintained the ownership of the brand.
Britvic hires Rebecca Napier as CFO
Meanwhile, Britvic has appointed Rebecca Napier to the Board as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director. Rebecca will lead the finance function across all Britvic’s markets as well as chair the ESG Committee.
Rebecca Napier is currently Chief Financial Officer at British Airways, where she has held a variety of financial roles over the last 16 years.
Her BA career included roles for the broader IAG entity, where she sits on the IAG Loyalty and IAG Cargo boards in parallel to her BA role.
Rebecca Napier said: “I am very much looking forward to joining the Britvic team as the company continues to deliver value across the people, planet and financial performance metrics for all its stakeholders.”
Rebecca’s start date will be confirmed in due course. She will replace Joanne Wilson, who will be leaving the company shortly, as previously announced. Interim CFO arrangements, also as previously communicated, are already in place.
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