Following a successful launch in Scotland, AJ Barr is to roll out its Irn-Bru Energy drink to the wholesale channel at the start of November, in sugar and no-sugar formats.
The new drink combines the flavour of classic Irn-Bru with taurine, caffeine and B vitamins, with the supplier claiming it has outperformed its closest competitors since launching in Scotland in July.
“Energy is an exciting and fast-growing part of the soft drinks market delivering the highest profit per litre for retailers, with over 1 in 3 soft drinks sold in convenience stores being an energy drink,” said Adrian Troy, marketing director at Barr Soft Drinks.
“Consumers are increasingly opting for flavoured variants when choosing an energy drink, with flavoured energy now accounting for 34% of the mainstream energy market and growing faster than original energy,” he added.
Troy also noted that Irn-Bru is currently growing at 9% across England and the company is confident that demand for the new energy variant will be high.
A nationwide marketing support programme is scheduled to run in 2020, including digital and social media activity, as well as bus and high street advertising.
