Soft drinks in 2024: The big picture
Off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Germany continue to gradually fall due to ongoing inflationary pressures and rising prices. The German economy is facing several challenges.
2024 key trends
The trend towards reduced sugar beverages continues. Many consumers continue to choose reduced sugar soft drinks as they become increasingly concerned about their health, and the potential risks posed by high sugar intake.
Competitive landscape
The soft drinks industry remains driven by major producers, with Coca-Cola GmbH at the forefront in terms of non-private label players. In its home market of the US, PepsiCo is its biggest competitor, whereas the German market is led by private label producers.
Retailing developments
While supermarkets gained share of distribution during the pandemic when consumers had higher disposable incomes, discounters remains the leading channel for soft drinks, with further share gain supported by the cost-of-living crisis. Financial pressure has forced consumers to search for more affordable options, which discounters tend to offer.
Foodservice vs retail split
Post-pandemic, on-trade volume sales of soft drinks have continued to grow, recovering to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Nevertheless, the foodservice industry is still struggling with high costs, labour shortages, and bureaucracy, resulting in slower growth for soft drinks through this channel compared to the previous two years.
What next for soft drinks?
Over the forecast period, volume growth via the on-trade channel is expected to continue. While the cost-of-living crisis and the sluggish economy remain obstacles for many consumers, there is generally growing demand for hydration solutions via on-trade.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Soft Drinks industry in Germany with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Bottled Water
- Carbonates
- Concentrates
- Juice
- RTD Coffee
- RTD Tea
- Energy Drinks
- Sports Drinks
- Asian Speciality Drinks
If you're in the Soft Drinks industry in Germany, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Soft Drinks in Germany report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Soft Drinks in Germany?
- To what extent are health considerations impacting consumption of Soft Drinks in Germany?
- How are changing social attitudes and legislation (eg sugar tax) reshaping demand and consumption?
- How are changing demographics (for example, an ageing or predominantly young population) determining consumption of Soft Drinks in Germany?
- Which are the leading brands in Soft Drinks in Germany?
- What potential exists for multinational or domestic soft drinks companies to expand in Germany?
- How are products distributed in Soft Drinks in Germany?
- How is the rise of e-commerce changing the retail and competitive landscape?
- How have home seclusion and social distancing measures following COVID-19 impacted sales of Soft Drinks?
- How are sustainability issues, such as environmentally-friendly packaging, legislation on recyclability, or the amount of plastic in bottles, impacting the soft drinks industry?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Soft Drinks in Germany
Soft drinks in 2024: The big picture
2024 key trends
Competitive landscape
Retailing developments
Foodservice vs retail split
What next for soft drinks?
Fountain sales in Germany
DISCLAIMER
Bottled Water in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Price-sensitive consumers increasingly choose tap water over bottled format
Cost pressures and changing consumer preferences
Building trust through sustainability efforts
On-trade channel and bottled water in a warming climate
Functional bottled water: A growing and competitive niche
Private label is evolving into trusted alternative to brands
Carbonates in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Sugar reduction as a key demand driver of carbonates
On-trade recovery despite economic pressures
Mixers remains popular due to aperitif trends
Competition across soft drinks to intensify and place pressure on carbonates
Health awareness set to shape the future
Brands must align with consumer values
Concentrates in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Concentrates benefits from home preparation and reduced packaging solutions
Growing brand activity and innovation amid economic challenges
Polarisation between private label and premium options
Innovation to drive success through sugar reduction and sustainable packaging solutions
Hydration in innovative formats
Navigating inflation: Challenges and opportunities
Concentrates Conversions
Juice in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Consumer focus on expense management and sugar reduction
On-trade recovery and shifts in consumption patterns
Rising challenges in sourcing and costs
Declining juice consumption balanced by expansion of use occasions
Functional juice to drive health innovation
A sustainable future: Healthier juice for people and the planet
RTD Coffee in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
RTD coffee relies on convenience
Premiumisation and coffee expertise define category
Private label RTD coffee dominates amid financial challenges
Home brewing of iced coffee to increasingly compete with RTD coffee
Sustainability will be a key differentiator
Innovation in functional and plant-based RTD coffee
RTD Tea in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Stagnation amid intense competition
On-trade sales remain relevant in local market
Health-conscious consumer trends drive innovation
Home-made beverages to challenge RTD tea sales
Hot summers can drive demand for iced tea
Sustainability to shape the future of RTD tea
Energy Drinks in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Energy drinks maintains strong growth trajectory in 2024
Innovation in energy drinks slows amid economic pressures
Red Bull retains leadership amid growing competition
Impact of inflation likely to remain relevant heading into forecast period
Increasing health scrutiny and potential regulations
Growing competition from perceived healthier alternatives
Sports Drinks in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Greater participation in physical activity continues to support demand for sports drinks
Blurring lines with functional beverages
Leveraging major sports events to boost category sales
Intensifying competition from other soft drinks
Hydration innovation and the rise of new formats
Technological integration and personalisation of sports drinks
Asian Speciality Drinks in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Off-trade continues to drive demand, with expanding distribution raising awareness
Health-conscious consumers drive demand for “natural” claims
Regional demographics continue to shape the demand for Asian speciality drinks
Demand for healthier beverages presents an opportunity
Asian cuisine and beverages will influence the health-conscious young population
Growing Asian population and cultural hubs to support sales
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Soft Drinks
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- Carbonated Natural Mineral Bottled Water
- Carbonated Spring Bottled Water
- Carbonated Purified Bottled Water
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- Still Flavoured Bottled Water
- Sparkling Flavoured Bottled Water
- Functional Bottled Water
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- Still Natural Mineral Bottled Water
- Still Spring Bottled Water
- Still Purified Bottled Water
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- Regular Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Carbonates
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- Regular Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Cola Carbonates
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- Regular Non-Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Non-Cola Carbonates
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- Regular Lemonade/Lime
- Reduced Sugar Lemonade/Lime
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- Regular Tonic Water/Mixers/Other Bitters
- Reduced Sugar Tonic Water/Mixers/Other Bitters
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- Regular Orange Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Orange Carbonates
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- Regular Other Non-Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Other Non-Cola Carbonates
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- Liquid Concentrates
- Powder Concentrates
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- Not from Concentrate 100% Juice
- Reconstituted 100% Juice
- Coconut and Other Plant Waters
- Juice Drinks (up to 24% Juice)
- Nectars
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- RTD Coffee
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- Carbonated RTD Tea and Kombucha
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- Regular Still RTD Tea
- Reduced Sugar Still RTD Tea
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- Regular Energy Drinks
- Reduced Sugar Energy Drinks
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- Regular Sports Drinks
- Reduced Sugar Sports Drinks
- Asian Speciality Drinks
Soft Drinks
This is the aggregation of the following categories; Carbonates, Fruit/vegetable juice, Bottled water, Functional drinks, Concentrates, RTD tea, RTD coffee and Asian speciality drinks.
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This report originates from Passport, our Soft Drinks research and analysis database.
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