Summer's icy drinks that freeze brains and numb tongues are about to receive a serious energy jolt.
Brace yourself for Slurpees and slushes made with energy drinks. Today, 7-Eleven and Sonic will introduce energy-laden versions of their icy icons. Both are mixing them with Full Throttle Fury, a citrus energy drink from Coca-Cola.
But the trend isn't limited to fast food. Since T.G.I. Friday's began selling Red Bull Berry Blast Slush in January, its sales of non-alcoholic beverage sales have surged more than 4%. And 25% of that comes directly from the Red Bull Slush, says Mike Archer, president of Friday's.
"Energy drinks are the new coffee," says Archer. U.S. sales of energy drinks jumped to $4.9 billion in 2006 from $3.4 billion in 2005, reports Beverage Digest.
There's gobs of money to be made in energy drinks because they sell at such a high premium, says John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. At convenience stores, they sell for four times more per ounce than soft drinks, he notes.
While energy Slurpees will sell for the same price as regular Slurpees, the energy slushes at Sonic will cost about 40 cents more than its other slushes. Friday's sells its energy slushes for $1 more than its other non-alcoholic slushes.
"Energy drinks are moving from beverages used as mixes at clubs and bars to something much broader," says Sicher. Even McDonald's has tested canned energy drinks, and CEO Jim Skinner says he wants them on McDonald's menu.
"Some people are using them to replace coffee as an afternoon pick-up," says Beverage Digest's Sicher
The drinks' energy boost comes from caffeine, taurine, ginseng and, of course, gobs of corn syrup. Nutritionists are wary.
"This is a desperate attempt to attract new, younger audiences and keep people buying this stuff," says Marion Nestle, nutrition professor at New York University. "But they're not good for people."
Sonic's 14-ounce energy slush is packed with about 200 calories of sugar, she notes. "That ought to give people energy," she jokes. And lots of extra calories.
Sonic says it's just responding to consumer requests. "We're trying to give choices," says Todd Townsend, marketing chief. Sonic will be the first fast-food chain to sell energy slushes, he says. The slush was a hit when recently test-marketed in El Paso, he says, though he declines to say just how well it sold.
At 7-Eleven, the energy Slurpee came directly from consumer requests, says Jay Wilkins, category manager for Slurpee. The target is males 18 to 34, he says.
"We've taken Slurpee and put an edge on it," he says. The move comes at a time when Slurpee sales have been flat, he notes.
While vitamin-infused Slurpees aren't on the horizon, he says, "If we get lots of requests for calcium-added Slurpees, we'll make them."
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-05-06-energy-slush-usat_N.htm
2007-05-07 07:15:28
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answer #1
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answered by siebki 5
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