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Why 2026 Is Poised to Be the 'Year of Special Channels' for the Beverage Industry
2026 may mark the beginning of the 'Year of Special Channels' for beverages. As consumption diversifies and channels fragment, the beverage industry is shifting from traditional supermarkets and distribution to new channel models characterized by segmented audiences, scenario-based marketing, and refined management. For instance, in 2023, the reopening of consumption scenarios drove the 'dining channel' to become a key growth market, with Dayao soda seeing over 30% sales growth and many beverage companies entering the fray.
擎苍Coca-Cola 'Slims Down', Guozishule Launches Limited Flavors: Channel Customization Becomes New Growth Engine
In 2025, a 400ml Coca-Cola labeled 'snack channel customized' appeared in Liangpin Hemang stores, 100ml less and 0.5 yuan cheaper than the regular version. Meanwhile, young beverage brand Guozishule launched multiple channel-customized products across categories like sugar-free tea and electrolyte water, with limited flavors such as golden osmanthus white tea and Litsea lemon tea to enhance channel identity.
擎苍C'est la Vie, Under Siege from Wahaha and Nongfu, Sees Market Share Nearly Halve in 2025...
In December 2025, China Resources Beverage (parent of C'estbon) topped the decliner list in the Hurun China Food Industry Top 100 with a 28% value drop. Its H1 2025 revenue fell 18.5% to RMB 6.2 billion, with net profit down 28.7%, exposing growth woes amid price wars and channel chaos.
擎苍White-label beverages 'ebb'? Increasingly rejected by terminal stores
This year, our system's procurement almost stopped sourcing white-label beverages, said Mr. Wu, a purchasing manager at a central China snack bulk retail chain. In a generally cold market, white-label products sell even worse. White-label beverages refer to small and medium brands between well-known big names and 'three-no' products, often in popular categories but cheaper, epitomizing 'extreme cost-performance'. In fact, entering any snack bulk store, one often sees...
擎苍Is the 2025 Beverage Market 'Cold'? Three Distributors Have Their Say
As 2025 approaches June, the beverage industry has not seen the expected 'golden season.' Despite the Chinese beverage market surpassing 1.2 trillion yuan and rapid growth in subcategories like sugar-free tea and functional drinks, distributor anxiety is spreading. A survey by the author across multiple markets found one beverage distributor saying, 'From April, it was clear this year's beverage market wouldn't be very prosperous; even as terminals start stocking up for the peak season, overall beverage ex-factory prices remain low.' A distributor from South China said, 'Product prices are too competitive now; it's hard to make money.' Some distributors even report a 30% year-on-year decline in local beverage sales this summer, with inventory piling up to thousands of cases, and price wars driving wholesale prices below cost.
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