Bumper year for RTD tea in convenience channel
The ready-to-drink tea category continued to post solid growth numbers in convenience stores across the US, as consumers' penchant for healthy alternatives to soda takes hold. According to Nielsen data, the tea category grew by 9.1% in convenience stores during the past two years. New flavors, line extensions and packaging kept the offer appealing for shoppers and generated total sales of $1.23 billion last year. IRI data also indicates that Arizona was the undisputed leader in 2013, with almost $270 million in sales, followed by Lipton Brisk and Lipton PureLeaf at $153m and $125m respectively. Lipton PureLeaf benefited from the highest average unit price amongst the top ten brands at $1.76. The biggest sales increase came from Coca-Cola's Fuze brand, which experienced at staggering 250% annual growth in US convenience channel.