Polar, second in seltzer sales, gains on market leader
Photo | Grant Welker
A canning line at Polar Beverages' Worcester facility
Polar Beverages, second in the country in terms of seltzer sales, is gaining on the leader.
That's the good news.
The bad news is the behemoth-backed third-place player, Bubly, is quickly gaining share.
Worcester-based Polar sold $173 million in seltzer in the 12 months ending last month, good for second nationally but far behind LaCroix, which sold $478 million, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited a Wells Fargo market analysis.
LaCroix, owned by National Beverage Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, is seeing slumping sales after becoming the most trendy name in the fast-growing seltzer market benefiting from customers turning away from soda and other sweetened drinks. LaCroix's market share fell 4.3% year-to-year as measured over 12 weeks ending in May.
Polar, on the other hand, gained 0.3%.
Bubly, a brand launched by Pepsi in February 2018, has soared to third place, gaining 3.6% in the past year. Bubly sold $152 million in seltzer last year, according to the Wells Fargo analysis.
Polar, owned and run by the Crowley family for more than 120 years, has made aggressive moves in recent years to gain share in a seltzer market where consumption has risen from roughly 150 million gallons to nearly 800 million gallons in the past two decades, according to the consultant Beverage Marketing Corp.
Polar seltzers can be found in 41% of supermarkets nationwide, the company said last year, including major chains Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons and Food Lion.
In addition to Pepsi's launch of Bubly, Coke bought sparkling mineral water brand Topo Chico in 2017 for $220 million, and Pepsi paid $3.2 billion last August for SodaStream International, whose seltzer machines let people make sparkling drinks at home.
Polar's attempts to fend off the competition include launching its first seasonal flavors in 2011, and starting its Impossibly Good line aimed at the young consumers in 2015.
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