Non-carbonated and diet drinks see highest growth

The highest sales growth on the domestic soft drinks market last year was seen by non-carbonated and diet drinks, a survey by market research company Canadean shows. The Romanian soft drinks market is completely different from the Western markets in terms of structure, but consumer preferences are changing fast, increasingly resembling those in the developed countries. The most dynamic market segments, with over 20% growth, were the non-carbonated soft drinks and the plain mineral water, while the fastest growing carbonated drinks were the diet ones. The sales of plain mineral water have therefore increased by 21% to 270 million litres last year, while the sparkling mineral water sales rose only 7% to 768 million litres. The substantial growth in the demand for plain mineral water is nothing more than a natural consequence of the Romanian market’s development. “Plain mineral water accounts for about 90% of the total consumption of bottled water in Western Europe, while in Romania it is the other way round, because plain water accounts for merely 22% in the total sales. Anyway, the plain water segment is on the rise,” said Eusediu Margasoiu, marketing manager of Quadrant Amroq Beverages, Pepsi bottler for Romania.