Coca-Cola Co’s share of the US soft-drink market slipped last year, while archrival PepsiCo. Inc. picked up ground, according to a survey released on Thursday by beverage industry specialists.Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft drink maker, saw its share of the US $63.8 billion Carbonated soft-drink market drop 0.3 per cent to 44 per cent in 2003, according to data compiled by industry newsletter Beverage Digest and analyst John Maxwell.PepsiCo’s share rose 0.4 per cent to 31.8 per cent.The United States is the largest market for the soft-drink giants, but Coca-Cola, in particular, has struggled in recent years in the face of an economic slowdown and increased competition. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola scored a coup in 2002 with the introduction of its Vanilla Coke soft-drink, which boosted its sales and market share. The brand, however, slumped in 2003, losing 0.3 percent market share, according to the survey.John Sicher, Editor of Beverage Digest, said Coca-Cola’s performance had suffered because of the struggle of having to match Vanilla Coke’s success, while PepsiCo. had benefited from the strength of its lemon-lime drink Sierra Mist.Sierra Mist, which was introduced several years ago, added about 140 million unit cases to PepsiCo’s overall volumes in 2003, becoming the ninth most popular soft drink brand in the nation.Coca-Cola’s U.S. Volumes fell 0.2 percent in 2003, whilePepsiCo’s volumes gained 1.8 percent, according to the survey. The soft drink industry’s volumes as a whole increased 0.6percent in the United States, a dip from 2002 and below the 2 percent to 4 percent annual growth seen throughout most of the 1990s. — (Reuters)
