Coca-Cola shakes Uganda’s energy drink market

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Century Bottling Company Limited, a franchise bottler and distributor of Coca Cola Products in Uganda, has taken on Hariss International Limited’s Rock Boom and Pepsi Cola’s Sting with a low-cost energy drink in a move likely to stir competition in the energy drinks segment.

The new energy drink dubbed Power Play, is being marketed under the tagline‘Charginga Ne Power Play’with a 400ml pack retailing at Shs2, 000.

The Namanve-based firm appears to be pegging its product sales growth to high volumes compared with that of its rivals. Rock Boom and Sting are packaged in 320ml and 330ml, respectively.

Conrad Van Niekerk, the managing director at Century Bottling Company, said the new energy brand is coming on the market to meet the growing customer needs and fits well in the company’s innovation strategy.

“We are very convinced that this brand will do well in the country,” he said. “We (know that) we are entering a market with many energy drinks but our decision as a company was meant to launch the right drink in the market at the right time”.

He said the firm is looking at becoming a market leader in the Uganda’s energy drink market in future.

The company’s Commercial Director, Patrick Oyuru, said Power Play brings the same taste feeling at a very low cost.

“We are looking at a 25% market share in the energy drink segment in the coming years,” he said.

In 2015, Century Bottling Company, introduced a foreign manufactured high end energy drink – monster to compete with other foreign bottled energy drinks – Red Bull and Power Horse – retailing at more than Shs5, 000 depending on the seller.