Shloer launches zero calorie variants

Shloer, the original adult soft drink (ASD), is introducing its first-ever zero-calorie products this autumn. Under the sub-brand Shloer Zero, two new calorie-free SKUs will form the only branded no-calorie proposition in the ASD category.

Available in White Grape and Red Grape variants and with a £2.36 MRSP for a 750ml glass bottle, innovative Shloer Zero stems from consumer insight which revealed a strong desire amongst drinkers for a zero-calorie Shloer offering. The pioneering initiative is central to brand owner SHS Drinks’ drive to increase Shloer’s relevance and appeal amongst younger audiences.

Reflecting consumer trends towards reducing calories, or cutting out sugar, great-tasting Shloer Zero will speak to those seeking a guilt-free everyday treat. Being zero-calorie, the new duo will create a step-change in permissibility and open up new usage occasions for the ever-popular Shloer brand.

Prominent Zero branding will ensure that the new proposition is easily understood by consumers and clearly differentiated on shelf from the rest of the Shloer range. On both the main and neck label, confident Zero branding appears in light blue – a distinctive colourway which has come to be readily associated with diet/’lite’/zero-calorie products.

With 85 per cent brand awareness1, Shloer is the go-to brand for informal celebrations and family get-togethers; it is a long-established favourite for social gatherings, having led the advancement of ASDs as ‘grown-up’ alternatives to alcohol. Shloer is the leading ASD during the all-important Christmas period2 and the second-largest bottled ASD brand overall3.

Four million consumers drink Shloer4 and SHS Drinks believes that, with zero-calorie carbonates growing 16 per cent annually and now accounting for 13 per cent of the category, Shloer Zero will be well placed to capitalise on current trends and introduce a new generation of drinkers to the brand.

With Shloer accounting for two of the top three ASD sharing bottle SKUs in impulse6, the new Zero pair is set to augment the brand’s existing strong position. Research revealed that, amongst calorie-counting consumers, a ‘zero-calorie’ offering held significantly greater appeal than a ‘low-calorie’ one, underlining the key role that calorie-count plays in consumers’ purchase decisions.

Sarah Lawson, head of marketing – softs, at SHS Drinks, says: “Shloer Zero is a breakthrough addition to the brand. It’s a great-tasting, zero-compromise, zero-calorie product – one which doesn’t compel shoppers in independents to choose a trade-off between flavour and sugar content.

“The Zero variants will drive reappraisal and open Shloer up to newer, younger audiences. The brand has long been associated with celebrations and special occasions; these innovative, calorie-free additions to the range now give consumers ‘permission’ to drink Shloer more frequently, creating a bridge to everyday usage. Shloer Zero is zero-calorie and zero-guilt. It offers a way to reduce calories without having to compromise on taste.”