Soft drinks
Commercial intelligence for the Soft drinks category. Latest news, outlooks across countries, top brands, vendors active in the space, and opinion pieces from senior practitioners.
Country outlooks
All outlooks →- Q2 2026
Soft Drinks in Italy: Q2 2026 Outlook
Italian soft drinks enter Q2 2026 against a backdrop of fragile consumer confidence and heightened regulatory attention across the broader FMCG space. The country's antitrust authority has moved aggressively in adjacent categories, fining three snack suppliers a combined €23.3 million for coordinating private label supply deals rather than competing for them. That enforcement climate is relevant for soft drinks operators working with retailer own-brand programs. Regionally, the European CPG picture is shifting away from price-led growth toward volume and mix recovery, a trend flagged in the German soft drinks market and applicable here. Italian operators that can defend mainstream price points while managing mix will be better placed than those still leaning on residual pricing momentum from the inflation cycle.
- Q2 2026
Soft Drinks in Germany: Q2 2026 Outlook
German soft drinks enter Q2 2026 in a market shaped by two competing forces. On one side, European consumer confidence is described as "stable but fragile" by major CPG operators, and developed-market volumes across the sector are under visible pressure. On the other side, the broader European CPG picture is beginning to shift away from price-led growth toward volume and mix recovery, as Danone's FY 2025 result shows. For soft drinks in Germany, the near-term challenge is whether category operators can sustain value growth as pricing contributions moderate and anxious consumers make more deliberate spending choices. Operators with strong mix management and well-positioned mainstream price points are better placed than those relying on residual pricing momentum.
Recent signals
All news →- Consumer trends
Big CPG brands face growth crisis as consumers shift
McKinsey analysis shows food and beverage companies have exhausted their decades-old growth model, outpaced by private label and smaller competitors chasing health and value.
Food Business News · 1d ago
Company analysis tagged soft drinks
All companies →- The Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola Leadership Moves: What the C-Suite and Board Changes Signal About Strategy
A February 2026 SEC filing flagged departures and appointments of directors and officers, and the pattern points to deliberate decisions about where Coca-Cola is heading next.
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