FDBusiness.com

Feel Good Drinks, the 100% natural brand owned by Nichols plc, has been listed by Costa Coffee, Café Nero and Starbucks after a complete brand overhaul last September. The three major coffee shop brands have stocked the range following extensive marketing activity by Nichols in the European hotels, restaurants and cafés (HoReCa) sector that focused squarely on the brand’s key target audience of urban female consumers looking for healthier soft drinks for themselves and their children.

The pioneering range is now available in 190 Costa Coffee Poland stores (275ml juice drinks), 650 UK Caffè Nero shops (both flavours of Feel Good Kids), 15 Starbucks outlets in France (275ml juice drinks) and 20 Starbucks cafés in Cyprus (275ml juice drinks).

All Feel Good Drinks juice variants* are a mix of 100% natural fruit juices and still or lightly sparkling water, with the two variations being ‘Refreshingly Still’ or ‘A Bit Bubbly’. They never contain any added sugar, responding perfectly to the growing demand for healthier, delicious soft drinks.

The new Feel Good Drinks range comes in a variety of formats that cater to the needs of the different sectors. This includes 750ml and 275ml glass bottles, 400ml PET and a Feel Good Kids offering in 180ml tetra wedges, specifically designed for children.

Becky Unwin, Feel Good Drinks Senior Brand Manager, comments: “There is a real appetite in the adult soft drinks segment for products that offer great taste as well as natural ingredients without any added sugar. Feel Good is ideally positioned to fill this gap and help operators reinvigorate their soft drinks selection, which is what we’re already seeing in the HoReCa sector in Europe. The range offers 100% natural refreshment in a variety of delicious flavours with something for every palate and occasion. With consumers visiting coffee shops increasingly often, soft drinks represent a huge sales opportunity.”

To capitalise on this growth potential, Feel Good Drinks has extended its portfolio by launching a new Infusions range: naturally flavoured waters with no added sugar and naturally low in calories. Targeting female urbanites, the launch propels the brand into the growing water category, which is now worth more than £1bn in the UK and is the third largest sector in soft drinks¹.

The new range comprises three refreshing flavour combinations for the contemporary palette: Strawberry & Mint, Lemon & Elderflower and Apple & Rose, all of which are available in 400ml and 1 litre formats for on-the-go and sharing occasions.

Joe Ashcroft, European Sales Manager, says: “We’ve already seen consumers embracing the trend of infusing water by adding fruit to their own water bottles. And with the number of UK households buying flavoured waters growing to more than 12 million², Feel Good Water is perfectly placed to capitalise on that. This is kind of product that really excites the HoReCa segment; an innovation that speaks directly to their core customer base. Understanding their desires and providing the products that meet them is why we’ve seen so much success in Europe since we relaunched the brand in September and added our new range.”

¹  Nielsen Scantrack Value Sales, Total Coverage, MAT 09.09.17

²  Nielsen Homescan, Total Coverage, MAT 09.09.17