TaB soft drink is retiring after 57 years, to go live with Sweetie Pies and Chocolate Logs
If it was not bad enough to lose some of our favourite chocolates this year, Coca-Cola has now also announced that it is retiring its first “diet” soft drink, TaB, launched in 1963.
Coca-Cola SAID in a statement that it will retire select products in various markets around the world over the next two years as part of a global portfolio refresh. The plan is to prioritise category-leading brands with the greatest potential for scale. “This portfolio refresh will allow us to invest in scaling brands and creating a portfolio of drinks that are positioned to capture growth in a fast-changing marketplace.”
TaB will be retired globally. The soft drink became a cultural icon in the 1980s and has maintained a small but loyal following over the last few decades, primarily among fans that grew up with the beloved brand.
“We’re challenging ourselves to think differently about our brands to accelerate our transformation to a total beverage company,” says Cath Coetzer, global head of innovation and marketing operations.
“This is not about paring down to a specific number of product offerings under our brands. The objective is to drive impact and growth. It is about continuing to follow the consumer and being very intentional in deciding which of our brands are most deserving of our investments and resources.”
Coca-Cola will still make the No Sugar No Caffeine variety of Diet Coke, which had overtaken TaB in sales in South Africa. The company says it will share more information when their plans and timelines have been finalised.
South Africans were barely over saying goodbye to all-time favourite Sweetie Pie chocolates, when Nestlé South Africa announced that Nestle Chocolate Log, Nestle Bar One Peanut, Nestle Milkybar Peanut and Milky Bar Double will not be available from August 2020. Now TaB joins the retirement list.
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