Focus On - Health & Nutrition Drinks

Brought to you by: Plan for Profit 7 FUNCTIONAL DRINKS 1. Quality Food Awards, Functional Drinks Insight, July 2025 2. KamCity, Soft Drinks in Convenience, May 2024 3. Ocado Retail, Gen Z Functional Trends, June 2025 4. BeverageDaily, Functional Innovation Launches, October 2025 Functional drinks sales have soared in the past year, up 34% year-on-year to around £178m - far outpacing total soft drinks category growth. 1 Even in convenience stores, the segment saw strong double-digit gains. 1 Shoppers often grab functional drinks on “fuel-up” missions, seeking hydration or energy alongside added wellness benefits. 4 Soft drinks remain the top impulse category in convenience, appearing in 26% of all baskets. 2 To support navigation, some retailers have introduced dedicated ‘wellness’ chillers that group products by benefit. 1 Consumers - especially Gen Z - are driving this boom by swapping fizzy drinks, coffee or alcohol for functional alternatives. 3 Drinks positioned around energy, hydration, or gut health tap into these needs. 3 Brands are innovating accordingly - from vitamin infused waters to probiotic shots - with clearer functional labelling to help shoppers quickly identify benefits like immunity or digestion. 1,4 Group functional drinks by benefit, Energy, Hydration, Immunity - to boost visibility and drive impulse buys. Digestive health options like kombucha and kefir are seeing rising interest. 3 Nearly 61% of Gen Z now consume functional drinks multiple times a month. 3 +34% ENERGY HYDRATION IMMUNITY