VK is attempting to bring the Ready-To-Drink (RTD) category into the 21st Century with a new range of flavours.

Joining core variants blue and the renamed ice storm, are apple & mango, orange & passionfruit, strawberry & lime, tropical fruits and black cherry. All variants have an abv of 4%.

Global Brands marketing director Simon Green hopes this revamp will reverse the decline in RTD. “RTDs are declining having lost relevance to consumers but remain important as they hold a world of untapped possibility,” he said. “The category is worth £200m to the off trade so RTDs are more than worth an investment in innovation.

“Simple extensions of obvious colours and flavours are no longer enough, as other categories like soft drinks and flavoured ciders have shifted the goalposts, embracing premium taste trends,” he added. “Complex fruit flavours continue to be at the heart of consumer interest, and RTDs are ideally placed to take a bite of this.”

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