April 22, 2021
PepsiCo will make its prized carbonated drink Pepsi less sweet and fizzier, changing its formulation for the first time in India and this move will place Pepsi at par with rival brands Coke and ThumsUp, which have stayed less sweet in comparison.
The reformulation also comes at a pivotal summer quarter (April-June), which accounts for more than half of the packaged beverage industry’s annual sales of Rs. 28,000 crores in India. Out of this, Cola’s segment is estimated to be about Rs. 9,800 crores.
Pepsi has traditionally been a sweeter drink, compared with rivals Coke and ThumsUp. This is a move aimed at closing in on the category leader ThumsUp and comes on the eve of the crucial summer quarter this year, after last year’s near washout quarter that coincided with the peak lockdown.
PepsiCo has now turned ‘more refreshing’.