Soft drinks manufacturer Britvic is vying to win a greater share of the children's market with the launch of a new limited edition Robinson's winter squash brand produced at its Norwich facility.
The Red Berries drink, which is launched next month, is part of a drive to increase sales during the winter months, with Britvic hoping the new drink, which can be drunk hot and cold, will prove popular with parents.
The label has been designed with this in mind, featuring a knitted pattern and mixed berries in the shape of a mug and a 'try me warm' message on its packs.
Jonathan Gatward, GB Marketing Director, Britvic Soft Drinks, said: 'The launch of Red Berries is a continuation of our Limited Edition strategy for the Robinsons brand to offer shoppers new and interesting flavour choices. Our last limited edition was Strawberries & Cream to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. It's performed very well, showing a rate of sale in line with some of our longest established Robinsons Fruit Squash flavours – Orange, Apple & Blackcurrant, and Summer Fruit .
'Winter can be a challenging time for the squash category, as many consumers reach for hot drinks. Following a successful small-scale trial last year, we are confident that Red Berries will prove popular with both retailers and consumers alike.'
The limited edition Robinsons Red Berries replaces the Limited Edition Robinsons Strawberries & Cream.
The move comes as Britvic has also begun plans to re-supply its popular Fruit Shoot drink, which was taken off the shelves in July in the wake of a safety scare.
Bosses recalled all Fruit Shoot and Fruit Shoot Hydra products from the shelves after a design fault was discovered with the lids, amid fears they could be a choking hazard.
Production in Norwich and Chelmsford ceased in the wake of the scare, and Britvic announced that it could not rectify the design problem and was instead switching to a new sports lid.
It will take six weeks to resume production.
The move wiped up to �25m off its pre-tax profits and it also said that it will take the firm six months to get production back to previous levels of demand.
Meanwhile it tasked Norfolk-based waste disposal specialists M Gaze with helping with the huge disposal and recycling effort.
shaun.lowthorpe@archant.co.uk
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