Campari highlights importance of innovation
Italian drinks giant Campari Group has said that innovation is becoming a “critical differentiator” in a challenging market.
The company made the statement in its six months results to 30th June 2026 where it also the highlighted the global economic conditions that have been impacted by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
It showed that for the six months it reached organic net sales of €1.5bn, representing a decrease of -1% compared with the same period of 2025. However, the overall performance was driven by organic growth of +2.7%.
Gross profit for the period amounted to €946 million, reflecting an overall increase of +1.3% compared to the first six months of 2025.
Its results said: “Innovation is becoming a critical differentiator, enabling companies to sustain engagement, adapt portfolios and unlock incremental demand in an increasingly competitive and structurally challenged environment.”
It also highlighted changing consumer habits as a “central factor” with the evolution of Gen Z behaviour, different consumption patterns and a stronger focus on moderation and health, reshaping long-term consumption.
Campari said that affordability was also increasing influencing consumer choice, as inflation and weaker real incomes drive discretionary spending.
“At the same time, ready-to-drink and ready-to-serveformats are emerging as a multi-trend touchpoint, capturing demand for convenience, flavour innovation and new consumption occasions,” the results said.
Innovation and FIFA World Cup drives growth for CCEP
New variants and the FiFA World Cup helped deliver sales growth at global soft drinks company Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP).
Its H1 2026 financial results revealed a 6.1% increase in revenue and an operating profit of 8.1%.
Growth in Coca-Cola Trademark was led by Coke Zero Sugar +10.7% while diet Coke performance was boosted by the new Cherry flavour and Devil Wears Prada movie campaign.
CCEP said that it plans to focus on beverage innovation and highlighted its recent solid growth driven by the launch of new variants including Cherry Float in Original Taste & Zero Sugar, 500ml cans & Zero Caffeine in new black & gold packaging underpinned by activation with the FIFA World Cup.
The company said it would also be focusing on expanding cooler coverage, winning more customers and accelerating growth in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Damian Gammell, Chief Executive Officer at CCEP said: “Our performance reflects the strength of our broad beverage portfolio, the consumer demand for value and the relevance of our innovation across faster-growing categories such as zero sugar, energy and hydration, supported by quality in-market execution and exciting activations including the FIFA World Cup.
“While the consumer environment remains challenging, and the full impact of the ongoing situation in the Middle East remains uncertain, our first half performance demonstrates the resilience of our business and the strength of our growth model.”
Innovation helps to drive growth at AG Barr
Encouraging innovation performance has helped to boost performance at A G Barr, the UK beverage business.
However, the company which owns brands including IRN-BRU, Rubicon and Boost, said that it has seen around £10m wiped off its balance sheet due to distribution issues.
It unveiled the news during a trading update for the 26 weeks ended 1 August 2026 (H1 26/27), ahead of reporting interim results on 29 September 2026.
A G Barr said it faced challenges during Q2 as revenue was impacted by reduced stock availability, primarily from internal supply chain issues but also by external issues associated with third party manufacturing. The revenue impact of the issues is estimated to be £10m in H1.
It said that its core brands were “performing strongly” in the market and carrying good trading momentum into the second half from distribution gains, innovation launches and brand marketing activities.
It expects revenue to be to be c.£246m, c.8% up on the prior year (H1 25/26: £228.1m).
Euan Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer, said: “During the first half of the year we made significant progress against our strategic priorities. We completed the integrations of both Frobishers and Fentimans, continued to successfully drive our core brand propositions and made further progress with our manufacturing investment programme.”
He added: “Consumer demand for our brands is strong, with all core brands gaining market share. The supply constraints which impacted Q2 performance are being resolved and, with strengthening trading momentum driven by our refreshed core brands and new product development, we remain confident for the full year”.