Fentimans Report suggests premium shift includes soft drinks

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 26 January, 2026

The annual release of Fentimans market report appears to confirm that the well documented consumer shift to ‘less but better’ is also entrenched in the market for soft drinks and mixers.

The sixth edition of Fentimans Premium Soft Drinks and Mixers Market Report, produced in partnership with NIQ, powered by CGA Intelligence, notes that despite challenging 2025 on-trade conditions, “venues have achieved modest growth in drinks sales value in the last 12 months”.

While the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis remain to the fore in consumer minds, some 39% say they would, however, treat themselves to out-of-home drinks over home improvements (31%), clothing (30%) or overseas holidays (25%).

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Focusing in on soft drinks and mixers in the 12 months to mid-July 2025, combined sales reached £4.7bn, making those the third biggest drinks category after beer and spirits.

This represents a slight increase of soft drinks and mixers sales, having grown from a 14.8% share to 15%, with flavoured carbonates (which grew 9.5%), juice (7.3%) and water (11.8%) helping drive that growth.

The Report also identifies faster than average growth in sales of bottled drinks in the out-of-home market, rising 3.6% year-on-year, ahead of cans at 2.4%, suggesting that consumers are “seeking quality products and convenience when they are on the move”.

Health and wellness are identified as ongoing trends, with 74% of consumers saying they are likely to reduce their alcohol consumption, rising to 81% among 35 to 51-year-olds, due to a mix of both those considerations and cost of living.

Consumers are also increasingly more likely to embrace what the Report describes as ‘functionality in flavour’, with 51% prepared to pay more for products offering additional health benefits, rising to 61% and 68% among Gen Z and millennials, respectively.

“There are some really interesting insights within our latest report, including seeing the soft drinks category grow its market share and consumers willing to pay a little extra for a premium experience both in venues and at-home,” said Mark Platten, head of marketing & innovation at Fentimans.

“This paired with the latest consumer trends and flavour forecasts, we think 2026 is a great opportunity for on-premise venues and retail channels to elevate their offering to meet demand this year.”

The Report concludes that innovations and premium products will continue to drive consumer engagement, identifying a demand for soft and low abv drinks “worth trading up for”.

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