– History:
– Virgin Cola was set up in the early 1990s in partnership with Cott, a company specializing in bottling own-label drinks.
– Richard Branson aimed to expand the Virgin brand to compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
– Virgin Cola launched internationally in its first year, starting in the UK on Virgin Atlantic flights and in Virgin Cinemas.
– The drink was distributed through a deal with Tesco in 1994.
– Virgin Cola expanded to France, Belgium, and South Africa.
– Decline:
– Coca-Cola initiated a campaign against Virgin Cola as it started outselling Coke in the UK and entered the US market.
– Coke aimed to remove Virgin Cola from shelves by making deals with retailers.
– Virgin Cola sales dropped due to this influencing campaign.
– Virgin Cola was discontinued in Tesco, the largest UK supermarket.
– The UK license for Virgin Cola was acquired by Silver Spring in 2007 but production ceased in early 2009.
– See also:
– List of defunct consumer brands.
– References:
– Virgin Cola was featured in various TV shows like Friends, Ally McBeal, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
– The UK license for Virgin Cola was acquired by Silver Spring in 2007.
– Production of Virgin Cola ceased in early 2009.
– The final international licensee for Virgin Cola, based in Bangladesh, stopped production in 2014.
– Richard Branson decided to discontinue Virgin Cola after seeing success only in Bangladesh.
– Notable Events:
– In 1995, a promotional blimp featuring Richard Branson appeared on the show Baywatch.
– In 1996, 500 ml bottles of Virgin Cola were marketed as “The Pammy,” resembling Pamela Anderson.
– In 1998, Branson drove a tank into Times Square for the USA launch of Virgin Cola.
– In 2002, Virgin Vanilla cola was launched in the UK.
– In 2004, Virgin Vanilla was discontinued to focus on the teenage market.
Virgin Cola was a carbonated cola soft drink, launched in 1994. In 2009, it was discontinued in the United Kingdom, and in 2014 it was stopped being made by its final licensee, in Bangladesh.
 | |
| Type | Cola |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | American-Canadian |
| Introduced | 1994 |
| Discontinued | 2014 |
| Variants | Diet Cola, Vanilla, Lime, Orange, Cloudy Lemon, Blue Lemon |
| Related products | Coca-Cola Pepsi Cott RC Cola |
| Website | www |