Coca-Cola Amatil is hoping the upcoming launch of a new product in early April will reverse the company’s falling Australian revenues.
The Herald Sun reports that the new product, Coke Life, will launch on April 7. The launch will be worth $10 million and see a million cases of Coke Life delivered to 30,000 stores by the end of July.
A general move by consumers away from highly-sugared drinks has hurt Coca-Cola Amatil’s sales, which were down 2 per cent in 2014. Net profit was down 25 per cent in the year.
"We've seen a fairly steady decline in the sparkling category over a period of years in volumes of 2 to 3 per cent,” CCA CEO Alison Watkins told The Australian Financial Review.
“We would hope for people who have given it up and don't like Coke Zero it gives them an alternative and people who only have one a week can feel a little less guilty about that.”
Last year also saw CCA announce the closure of its Bayswater plant and the relocation of its three lines to other sites, as part of a three-year cost-cutting effort.
Coke Life is the first new product from Coca Cola since Coke Zero in 2006. Life has 35 per cent fewer calories than regular Coca-Cola, and is sweetened through a combination of cane sugar and stevia.