Soft Drinks Buying Guide UK: Sparkling Drinks, Juice Drinks, Lemonade & More
Compare soft drinks for home, workplaces, parties, events and hospitality. Learn how to choose between sparkling fruit drinks, still juice drinks, lemonade, pressés, bottles, cans and multipacks based on flavour, serving style and occasion.
Start with how the drink will be served
The right soft drink depends on more than flavour. Think about whether you need a premium glass bottle, an easy-to-store can, a lunchbox-style carton or a larger multipack for an office, party or hospitality setting.
Sparkling Fruit Drinks
Choose lightly sparkling fruit-based drinks for lunches, events and alternatives to traditional fizzy drinks.
Browse Sparkling Soft DrinksLemonade & Pressés
Premium lemonade and pressés can work well for table service, entertaining and more grown-up refreshment occasions.
Browse Lemonade & PressésStill Fruit Drinks
Still fruit drinks can suit lunchboxes, offices, events and situations where carbonation is not required.
Browse Still DrinksMultipacks
Case quantities can simplify stock planning for workplaces, hospitality, events and larger households.
Shop Bulk DrinksSoft drinks buying guide
Use the sections below to compare drink styles, pack formats and buying situations.
Sparkling fruit drinks for refreshing individual servings
Sparkling fruit drinks can provide a lighter, fruit-led alternative to traditional carbonated soft drinks.
The current Nicol Retailer range includes sparkling fruit combinations such as forest fruits, apple and elderflower, mango and passion fruit, orange and mandarin and cloudy apple.
These formats can work particularly well for lunches, events, cafés and meal accompaniments.
- Lunches
- Parties
- Events
- Cafés
- Meal service
- Workplaces
- Family occasions
- Hospitality
Lemonade & pressés for premium refreshment
Lemonade and sparkling pressés can be useful when presentation and flavour complexity matter as much as simple refreshment.
The current Soft Drinks range includes products such as R White’s Premium Lemonade and Bottlegreen Elderflower and Pomegranate & Elderflower sparkling pressés.
Serving tip: glass-bottle pressés can be particularly suitable for table service, events and premium hospitality presentation.
Still fruit & juice drinks for lunches, offices and events
Not every occasion needs carbonation. Still fruit drinks and juice-style products can be convenient for lunch, workplace refreshment and family use.
The current range includes still fruit drinks alongside juice-drink formats in multipacks.
Choose according to serving size, flavour, container type and who the drink is intended for.
- Lunchboxes
- Workplaces
- Meetings
- Events
- Buffets
- Family occasions
- Education settings
- Hospitality
Bottles, cans or cartons: which soft-drink format should you choose?
The container can influence presentation, storage, portioning and convenience.
How to choose the right soft drink
Think about the occasion first, then choose the format and flavour.
- For meals: consider sparkling fruit drinks, premium lemonade or pressés.
- For workplaces: multipacks can make stock control easier.
- For parties: choose a mix of familiar and more distinctive flavours.
- For hospitality: consider presentation, container type and serving size.
- For children or lunchboxes: look at individual serving formats and current product information.
- For events: plan from guest numbers and the length of service.
Explore different soft-drink styles
Several Nicol Retailer ranges offer distinctive flavour and presentation styles. Use brand archives when you already know what type of drink you want, but use the main Soft Drinks category for broader comparison.
Cawston Press
Fruit-led sparkling drinks including cloudy apple, rhubarb, elderflower lemonade and ginger beer.
Fentimans
Lemonade, cola and botanical-style soft drinks for premium service.
Breckland Orchard
Distinctive flavours including cream soda, ginger beer and fruit-led combinations.
Suso
Sparkling fruit combinations in multipacks for home and commercial use.
San Pellegrino
Sparkling water and fruit-flavoured drinks for meals and refreshment.
All Soft Drinks
Use the main category to compare brands, formats and flavours together.
Choose soft drinks by occasion
Home refreshment
Choose pack sizes that match realistic household consumption and available storage.
Office drinks
Multipacks can simplify shared refreshment for staff, meetings and visitors.
Parties & celebrations
Offer a small mixture of sparkling, still and familiar soft-drink flavours rather than too many similar options.
Cafés & restaurants
Consider bottle appearance, serving size, menu positioning and chilled storage.
Events & catering
Calculate quantities from guest numbers, service duration and what other drinks will be available.
Multipack soft drinks for offices, events & catering
Nicol Retailer also has a dedicated Bulk Drinks range for larger-quantity purchasing.
The current archive includes soft drinks, juices, water, mixers and catering beverages in multipack formats.
For business purchasing, choose quantities around expected usage, available storage and stock turnover rather than simply buying the largest case available.
- Offices
- Meetings
- Cafés
- Restaurants
- Schools
- Events
- Caterers
- Hospitality venues
Ingredients, sugar options & dietary information
Soft drinks can vary significantly in recipe, sweeteners, fruit content, sugar content and dietary suitability.
Some products may be sugar-free, reduced-sugar, vegan or suitable for other dietary preferences, but suitability should be checked for the exact item.
Important: do not assume all drinks within a brand or category have the same ingredients or dietary status. Check the current product page and packaging supplied.
For further guidance, visit Ingredients, Allergens & Dietary Information .
Explore the wider Soft Drinks & Beverages hub
This guide focuses specifically on ready-to-drink soft drinks.
For coffee syrups, cordials, mixers and milkshake products, visit Soft Drinks & Beverages Online UK .
You can also shop the current Soft Drinks range directly.
Soft drinks FAQs
Common questions about choosing and buying soft drinks.
What types of soft drinks does Nicol Retailer sell?
The current range includes sparkling fruit drinks, still fruit drinks, lemonade, pressés, juice drinks and other bottled, canned or cartoned products.
What soft drinks are good for parties?
A balanced selection can include sparkling fruit drinks, lemonade, still drinks and a small number of familiar flavours.
Are glass-bottle soft drinks good for restaurants?
Glass bottles can work well where presentation and individual table service are important. Choose according to your menu, storage and serving requirements.
What drinks are suitable for offices?
Multipacks of bottled, canned or cartoned drinks can simplify workplace refreshments and meeting stock.
Does Nicol Retailer sell sparkling juice drinks?
Yes. The current Soft Drinks range includes multiple sparkling fruit-drink products and brands.
Does Nicol Retailer sell bulk soft drinks?
Yes. Browse Bulk Drinks for larger-quantity beverage options.
How many drinks should I buy for an event?
Plan from guest numbers, service duration, serving size and what other drinks will be available.
Where can I buy soft drinks online?
Browse Nicol Retailer’s Soft Drinks category for the current range.
Where can I check ingredients and dietary information?
Check the current individual product information and packaging supplied. For wider guidance, visit Ingredients, Allergens & Dietary Information .