Summary

from 2020 onwards, the global soft drinks market experienced notable growth, driven largely by health trends and a growing preference for healthy beverages. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, market dynamics changed - while the Italian soft drinks marketmarket contracted by a significant 13% due to the challenges faced by the HORECA channel, which shrank by 40%, supermarket sales remained stable. Italy, a net importer in the soft drinks sector, saw average monthly family expenditure on soft drinks rise by 1.3%.

However, soft drink consumption fell in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic on tourism and the adoption of remote working and studying arrangements. In anticipation of the introduction of the sugar tax planned for 2022, a tax of 10 centimes per liter on drinks containing more than 25g of sugar per liter, the market is expected to contract by 16% in volume terms. Despite this, manufacturers are motivated to innovate by reducing sugar content and exploring healthier ingredients to mitigate the impact of the tax and meet the needs of increasingly health-conscious consumers.

Trends in the Italian soft drinks market

In recent years, the Italian soft drinks market has undergone significant changes, influenced by consumer preferences and health trends. Despite a historic love of traditional flavors and a deeply rooted drinking culture, Italy has seen a shift towards healthier, alcohol-free beverage alternatives. Market structure and consumer trends: Per capita consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in Italy has been on a downward trend over the past decade, with a decrease of over 15%. This trend has been attributed to growing consumer health awareness, with an emerging preference for reduced-sugar beverages. Non-alcoholic beverages, such as energy and sports drinks, gained ground and now account for 3% of the sector. Diversification and innovation in offerings: Producers have innovated by reducing the calorie content of beverages by over 20%, and the sugar content by a similar percentage.

The market offers a variety of beverages, including colas, flavored waters, teas, energy and sports drinks, as well as nostalgic options such as vintage soft drinks and health-focused "organic" drinks. Geographical consumption patterns: While the average Italian drinks around 50 liters of soft drinks a year, consumption patterns vary from region to region. Households in southern regions and islands report higher monthly expenditure on soft drinks than those in northern or central Italy. Impact of the pandemic and the sugar tax: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant drop in soft drinks consumption, attributed to the closure and restrictions affecting the HORECA sector. With the introduction of the sugar tax in 2022, the market is expected to contract by 16% in volume terms compared with pre-pandemic levels, prompting manufacturers to consider healthier recipes.

The Italian soft drinks market is highly concentrated, with major players such as Coca-Cola HBC Italia, San Benedetto, and Nestlé's Sanpellegrino leading the way in market share. These players, along with smaller, heritage brands, are strategically positioning themselves by using locally sourced ingredients, authentic and traditional flavors, and embracing the cultural affinity for what is considered authentically Italian. In conclusion, the Italian soft drinks market is evolving, driven by health trends and lower sugar content. This has led to innovations and a diversified range of products to meet changing consumer preferences. Despite these transformations, traditional and locally authentic offerings continue to resonate deeply with Italian consumers.

Key players shaping the Italian soft drinks market landscape The Italian soft drinks sector is a dynamic market dominated by a mix of large multinational conglomerates and strong national companies, each contributing to the dynamic nature of the industry with its unique brands and product offerings.

Nestlé Group: A world leader, Nestlé occupies an important place in the Italian soft drinks market with its Sanpellegrino brand. Known for its sparkling waters, Sanpellegrino also offers a variety of citrus-based sodas such as Aranciata, as well as other flavored drinks that have become must-haves both nationally and internationally.
Refresco Group: A major player in the beverage manufacturing sector, Refresco serves both branded beverage companies and retailers with private label solutions. Its extensive production capabilities enable it to offer a diverse range of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, including its Spumador brand in Italy.
Coca-Cola HBC Italia: Operating under the umbrella of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, they bring Coca-Cola's world-renowned experience to Italy. Beyond classic cola, they offer a variety of other sparkling and still beverages, energy drinks and a range of flavored drinks that cater to Italian tastes.
San Benedetto: A highly respected name in the Italian beverage industry, San Benedetto provides a range of hydration and refreshment options, from mineral waters to sports drinks. The company has also made strides in health products with offerings such as Aquavitamin.
Spumador: Part of the Refresco Group, Spumador is distinguished by its historical roots in Italian beverage culture. It offers traditional Italian sodas and drinks, while retaining a local flavor that appeals to consumers in the region. The retail giants also contribute to the market with their private labels, which offer consumers more affordable options:
Conad and Coop: These retailers have carved out a significant share of the Italian market with their private-label soft drinks. Their products offer a value proposition to customers looking for quality beverages at a competitive price.
Carrefour Italia: With a strong presence in Italy, Carrefour offers a variety of private label beverages that appeal to the budget-conscious segment of the market, adding to the wide choice available to Italian consumers.

These key players, with their distinct brands and strategic market positioning, continue to drive innovation and competition in the Italian soft drinks industry, catering to a range of consumer tastes and preferences.

the soft drinks market - Italy

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Number of pages : 30 pages
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Last update : 05/10/2021

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Summary and extracts

1 Market summary

1.1 Definition and presentation

The non-alcoholic beverages market comprises several types of beverages, mainly marketed through food distribution channels, such as supermarkets and grocery shops, and food service. Non-alcoholic beverages include:

still and sparkling water
sparkling drinks
flavoured waters
fruit juices and vegetable centrifuges
energy drinks
non-alcoholic beers

Within the scope of this study, we are not going to include fruit juices as part of the soft drinks category, as we already treated this type of drinks in a specific study.

The global soft drinks market is expected to grow at a rate of 8.20% until 2027. The growth of the market is driven by the current health trends and the increasing body care of citizens, coupled with the growing inclination towards healthy beverages. In 2019, Asia held the largest share of the soft drinks market, followed by the U.S. and Europe. The European market is expected to witness significant growth due to declining consumption of alcoholic beverages and growing popularity of healthy products.

In 2019, the Italian beverages market consisted of 77% non-alcoholic beverages and 23% alcoholic beverages in terms of litres consumed. Consumption of fruit and vegetable juices and nectars decreased by -3.3% in the last year, while consumption of mineral water and still drinks increased. Overall, soft drink consumption grew 1-3% in 2019. The market is highly concentrated, with a few national and international players dominating the market.

Overall, the market is driven by various innovations, especially in packaging and new formats, and by investments in marketing to stimulate demand in a sustainable way. Recent years have also seen a general increase in prices.

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, market turnover has been supported by online sales and the continuity of production in the food sector. However, the hotel industry's results are negative, recovering only during the summer.

2 Demand analysis

3 Market structure

4 Analysis of the offer

5 Rules and regulations

6 Positioning of the actors

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Latest news

Nestlé wants to conquer the vitamin market. - 19/04/2023

Nestlé has made more than 60 acquisitions since Mark Schneider took the helm in 2017.
Nestlé Health Science sales have almost tripled in 5 years, from 2.6 billion Swiss francs to 6.6 billion in 2022.
The global vitamin and mineral market is worth 140 billion Swiss francs (142 billion euros).
Nestlé has increased its market share in vitamins from 1% to 4% between 2018 and 2021, while it has risen from 18% to 19% over the same period in medical nutrition.
Nestlé acquired The Bountiful Company in 2021 for 5 billion Swiss francs.
Nestlé controls 14% of the US vitamin and dietary supplement market.
The French market for vitamins and dietary supplements reached 2.6 billion euros in 2022, up 3%.
Nestlé is the leader in clinical nutrition in France, with a market share of 30%.

Private label manufacturers are expecting consolidation. - 21/10/2022

80% of French private label sales are produced by VSEs, SMEs and ETIs
Refresco produces and bottles juices, iced teas and still fruit drinks for all French retailers
In the third quarter of 2021 , sales volumes rose by between 18% and 26%, depending on the category

Nestlé is in exclusive negotiations with the FnB fund to sell its Mousline purées. - 29/03/2022

150 employees at the Rosières-en-Santerre plant (Somme).
FnB is a fund dedicated exclusively to supporting French and European SMEs in the food industry.
72% of the dehydrated purée market.
Nestlé assures us that this sale will have "no impact" on the 150 employees at the site.

Nestlé earns over 16 billion euros - 17/02/2022

Nestlé targets growth of 7.5% in 2021
Recurring operating income up 1.4% to CHF 15.1 billion
Net profit up 38.2% to 16.9 billion Swiss francs
The leading category is hot and powdered beverages
The Group pursued its strategy of premiumization and value creation: high-end products account for 35% of Group sales and have grown by 12% in 2021

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Coca-Cola HBC Italia

Nestlé Groupe

San Benedetto

Sanpellegrino

Spumador

Coop

Conad

Carrefour Italia

Refresco

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