France is set for a spike in sports-drinks consumption per capita between now and 2027, data shows.
Drinking 200ml per person per year in 2023, by 2027 the French are predicted to drink 290ml a year, according to research by GlobalData, Just Drinks’ parent company.
This puts it at a CAGR of 6.8% for the five-year period, though starting from a smaller base than its competitors. The global sports-drink market is set to see a 5.5% growth rate per person in the same period, with an average of 2.49 litres drunk per person.
It follows Lionel Messi and Mark Anthony Brands’ launch of “hydration drink” Más+ earlier this month.
Más+ contains electrolytes, vitamins and minerals and was launched in the US – the largest consumer per capita. The US is set for a 2.6% five-year CAGR in sports-drinks consumption, with people predicted to drink 19.83 litres per year in 2027.
Speaking to Just Drinks last week about the launch of Mas+, George Shaw, beverage analyst at GlobalData, said Canada and Europe “would be obvious future target markets” for the brand.
“Although there may be a temptation to launch quickly in Messi’s home nation of Argentina and the rest of Latin America, the per-capita consumption of sports drinks in this region is lower than that of the US and Europe,” he added.
In Argentina, people drink on average 2.04 litres of sports drinks a year, which is expected to dip to 2.1 litres by 2027 – though equaling a five-year CAGR of 1.1%.
Shaw said the decision to launch a sports drink rather than an energy drink could widen Mas+’s pool of drinkers.
“The decision to launch a functional sports drink rather than entering the fast-growing energy drinks space is likely to avoid limiting potential customer base to older teenage groups,” he said.
“While younger Gen-Z consumers are the most receptive to celebrity endorsed products, their parents often act as gatekeepers and are reluctant to purchase traditional energy drinks for their children due to concerns over caffeine or sugar content.”
Speaking to Just Drinks earlier this year, US drinks manufacturer Roar Organic cited ‘hydration’ as one of three macro trends driving the brand’s growth, alongside reducing sugar and ‘true’ functionality.
CEO Bill Lange said: “In the US, 75% of adults are chronically dehydrated. We have electrolytes but, with so much of electrolytes, the story has been through sports drinks and then you go back to the sugar trend and Gatorade and Prime… consumers are discerning and [are] looking at labels.”
Major sports-drinks brands have faced challenges around marketing and advertising in recent years; the Coca-Cola Co. last year faced complaints about its advertising claims for sports-drink Powerade, while celebrity-backed Prime has faced challenges over its energy drinks’ caffeine levels as well as a court case following claims the products contain “forever chemicals”.
Last year, PepsiCo added a line of water to its Gatorade brand, which had seen slowing sales in previous quarters. CEO Ramon Laguarta insisted the company “feels good” about Gatorade but analysts suggested the brand had driven a quarterly decline in volumes in its North America division.
