Lilt axed after 50 years as popular drink gets Fanta rebrand

14 February 2023, 11:33

Lilt has undergone a fizzy pop makeover and will appear on shelves as Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.

Much-loved soft drink Lilt has been axed after almost 50 years on shop shelves.

The fizzy flavour with the ‘totally tropical taste’ will disappear from chiller fridges in the UK as its parent company, Coca Cola, officially ditches the brand.

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Thankfully, fans of the popular citrusy pop will still be able to guzzle the juicy nectar as it has simply been relaunched under a different name.

Lilt has been welcomed into a new fizzy drink family and has been reborn as Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.

The new tropical offering will be available in 330ml cans, 500ml bottles and two-litre bottles featuring "the same totally tropical taste".

A zero-sugar version of Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit will also launch in the two-litre size.

Stores have stocked up on the rebranded fizzy drink, which is available for customers to buy from 14th February 2023.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners said of the rebrand: "Keen Lilt fans may have spotted a gradual transition as the drink has made its way into the Fanta family over the past few months, with changes to its packaging and logo.

"Some have even hypothesised on social media that Lilt may be becoming part of the Fanta brand, and one even went as far as producing their own news broadcast-style video."

VP of commercial development, Martin Attock, told loyal Lilt drinkers that the tropical taste had not been tampered with.

He added: "Our main priority with this announcement is to reassure Lilt’s loyal fanbase that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love.

"It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours. It’s just got itself a new name."

Lilt first burst onto the drinks market back in 1975 with its iconic marketing strapline: ‘The Totally Tropical Taste’.

The late 1980s saw the introduction of the “Lilt man”, a Caribbean milkman who delivered icy cold drinks to people on the beach.

In 1998, the advertising team hired two Jamaican women, Blanche Williams and Hazel Palmer, to star in a new TV ad for the brand.

It was such a hit the acting duo became the 'Lilt Ladies' who went on to star in many more tongue-in-cheek clips for the tropical drink.

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