SHS Drinks
SHS Drinks is the UK beverages division of SHS Group, marketing and producing a portfolio of branded alcoholic RTDs (WKD), cordials (bottlegreen), adult soft drinks (Shloer), cider, squashes, and mid-strength beer. It sells through major UK grocery chains, on-trade accounts, and exports to 40+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersGloucester, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SHS Drinks does
SHS Drinks is the specialist beverages division of UK diversified FMCG conglomerate SHS Group, established in its current divisional form in 2012 but tracing brand heritage back to 1935. The company markets and produces a portfolio of branded alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including WKD (the UK's #1 ready-to-drink brand), bottlegreen (the UK's #1 cordial brand), Shloer (the #1 adult soft drink at Christmas), Merrydown cider, Rocks squashes, Blossom Cottage cordials, and — following the December 2024 acquisition — Shandy Shack mid-strength craft beers. Manufacturing is supported by wholly-owned Caledonian Bottlers, which bottles WKD and serves third-party customers. The business sells primarily through major UK grocery retailers (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, Nisa) plus Dunnes in Ireland, Amazon, a UK/ROI on-trade channel, and distributors serving over 40 export markets. Revenue is generated almost entirely through unit-priced branded product sales, with no subscription, licensing, or platform model evident in the source material. Headcount across the broader SHS Group is 1,200, and SHS Drinks operates from its registered office in Gloucester, England.
The company's strategy centres on defending category leadership in mature UK RTD and cordial segments while extending into adjacent growth pools — most visibly no/low-alcohol (Shloer Zero, bottlegreen non-alcoholic spritz, bottlegreen Pressé cans), mid-strength ABV (Shandy Shack), and Ireland-specific innovation (WKD Pineapple Ice). Marketing is heavily sponsorship-led, with deep multi-year commitments to ITV2's Love Island (WKD, 5th consecutive year), BAFTA (bottlegreen), Ant & Dec's Taste Mates (Shloer), Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Down Royal racing, and Jockey Club student race days, supplemented by student brand ambassador programmes, influencer activations, and charity partnerships. Recent capital deployment — including a £10m WKD 30th-anniversary campaign and the Shandy Shack acquisition — indicates active portfolio management and reinvestment behind the core brands rather than passive category harvesting.
SHS Drinks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SHS Drinks
- Legal name
- SHS Drinks
- Website
- https://shs-drinks.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- SHS Drinks is the UK beverages division of SHS Group, marketing and producing a portfolio of branded alcoholic RTDs (WKD), cordials (bottlegreen), adult soft drinks (Shloer), cider, squashes, and mid-strength beer. It sells through major UK grocery chains, on-trade accounts, and exports to 40+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SHS Drinks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alcoholic Beverages
- NAICS
- Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alcoholic Beverage Brand Owners & Holding Companies (Multi-category Portfolios) (CRADAIAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB), Alcoholic Beverage Blending, Bottling & Private Label (Non-Distilling) (AFAFAAAH)
Keywords
Where SHS Drinks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gloucester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
SHS Drinks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Beverage product sales: Sale of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages through retail and on-trade channels. Includes ready-to-drink products, cordials, ciders, sparkling drinks, and craft beers under owned brands.
- Manufacturing services: Caledonian Bottlers operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary producing WKD and serving third-party customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer retail pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels11 records
Marketing channels15 records
SHS Drinks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SHS Drinks manufactures and markets a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages under owned brands including WKD (the UK's #1 Ready-to-Drink brand), bottlegreen (#1 UK cordial brand), Shloer (alcohol alternative), Merrydown cider, Rocks squashes, Blossom Cottage cordials, Shandy Shack mid-strength beer, and O Water. The company sells through major UK and Irish retailers, on-trade hospitality accounts, and exports to over 40 countries, with in-house bottling via its wholly-owned Caledonian Bottlers subsidiary.
Product overview
SHS Drinks is a specialist division within the SHS Group, one of the UK's leading independent names in alcoholic and soft drinks. The company markets and produces premium brands including WKD (the number-one RTD range in the UK and Ireland), bottlegreen (number 1 cordial brand in the UK), Shloer (original alcohol alternative), Merrydown Cider, Rocks (authentic Devon squashes), Blossom Cottage cordials, and Shandy Shack (acquired mid-strength beer brand). The portfolio spans alcoholic RTDs, enhanced caffeinated alcoholic drinks, liqueurs, ciders, sparkling grape drinks, cordials, sparkling presses, squashes, and premium water. SHS Drinks serves major UK retailers and exports to over 40 countries worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WKD: The nation's No.1 Ready to Drink brand. WKD is a sparkling alcoholic mix (4% ABV) of fruit flavours available in variants including WKD Blue, WKD Purple Grape, WKD Iron Brew, WKD Berry Blast, and WKD Orange & Passionfruit. Also includes WKD X (7% ABV with caffeine, taurine and guarana) and WKD Vibe liqueurs.
- bottlegreen
- Shloer
- Merrydown
- Rocks
- Blossom Cottage
- Shandy Shack
- O Water
Products and services
- WKD UK's #1 Ready-to-Drink alcoholic brand offering sparkling vodka-based mixers at 4% ABV in multiple fruit flavours including Blue, Iron Brew, Berry Blast, Orange & Passionfruit, Purple Grape, Cherry Ice, and Pineapple Ice. Targeted at adult consumers seeking convenient, flavoured alcoholic drinks.
- WKD X
Quantifiable outcome
- WKD X Blue Raspberry is #1 Enhanced RTD in GB
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SHS Drinks
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SHS Drinks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SHS Drinks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Cheltenham Jazz Festivalmajorbottlegreen headline sponsor for James Morrison and operates Extraordinary bar serving cocktails, mocktails and spritzes throughout the festival. Festival attracts over 20,000 visitors annually.
- The Jockey Club (INVADES)coreWKD partnership with INVADES student race day events at The Jockey Club venues. Includes WKD Blue Room Bus, branded fridges, bar POS, and Student Brand Ambassadors for 2025/2026 season.
- Ant and Dec's Taste MatescoreShloer is the exclusive Soft Drinks Partner of Ant and Dec's social-first entertainment show Taste Mates. Partnership runs June to December 2025 with Shloer featured in three key episodes across summer and Christmas periods.
- BAFTAcorebottlegreen is the Official Soft Drink Partner of BAFTA, supporting excellence in film, games and television. Provides bottlegreen range to BAFTA's prestigious events and programmes at 195 Piccadilly.
- ITV2 (Love Island)coreWKD is the Official Alcohol Partner of ITV2's Love Island for the fifth consecutive year. Partnership includes broadcast media, co-branded pack designs, consumer prizes, and extensive social content featuring WKD Vibe liqueurs, WKD X and core range.
- Down Royalmajorbottlegreen sponsorship of Down Royal November Festival including the bottlegreen Grade 3 Hurdle and Ladies' Day event. Team participated in judging panel for fashionable attendees.
- Asda Tickled Pink (Breast Cancer Now & CoppaFeel)majorShloer supporting Asda's Tickled Pink breast cancer awareness campaign for fourth year. Launched Pink Boobly limited edition with 10% of sales donated to Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel!. Available exclusively at Asda.
- Cystic Fibrosis TrustminorCurrent charity partnership with staff-nominated charity partnerships across SHS sites. Raised funds through events and activities including raffles and bake-offs.
- GroceryAidcoreSHS Drinks supports GroceryAid industry charity that helps people across the grocery sector. Involved in key committees, awareness-raising events and sponsorships. Received GroceryAid Gold Award for 17th consecutive year.
- Business in the CommunityminorSHS Group is a member of Business in the Community, an organization promoting responsible business practices.
- SedexminorSHS Group uses Sedex resources including Sedex RADAR for supply chain risk assessment and Sedex platform for supplier ethical audits.
- Ethical Trading InitiativeminorSHS Group adheres to the principles of the ETI Base Code along with specific customer ethical standards. Suppliers required to be aligned to ETI base code as minimum standard.
- Edwards 1902 English Potato VodkamajorCollaboration between bottlegreen and Edwards 1902 to create the first all-British co-branded elderflower vodka liqueur.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SHS Drinks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AG Barr plc: UK-listed CPG manufacturer behind Irn-Bru and Rubicon. Comparable as a UK heritage soft drinks brand owner with multi-channel grocery distribution and recent diversification into adjacent categories, mirroring SHS Drinks' portfolio breadth.
- Halewood International: Privately held UK multi-category alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks company (Crabbies, Whitley Neill, Lambrini, Dead Man's Fingers). Closest structural analogue to SHS Drinks: broad brand portfolio across RTD, gin, cider-adjacent and mixers, UK-led, family/private ownership.
- Britvic plc: UK-listed soft drinks major (PepsiCo licence, J2O, Robinsons, Fruit Shoot). Directly comparable on UK supermarket distribution scale, cordial/sparkling portfolio, and competing for the same retailer shelf space as bottlegreen, Shloer and Rocks.
- Nichols plc (Vimto): UK-listed soft drinks group best known for Vimto and bottled/canned water. Closest direct analogue to Shloer as a non-alcoholic, family/occasion-oriented juice drink competing for the same off-trade fixture and Christmas occasion.
- C&C Group plc: UK/Ireland-listed cider and beer company (Bulmers/Magners, Tennent's, Five Lads). Directly comparable for the Merrydown cider franchise and UK/Irish on/off-trade distribution model that aligns with SHS Drinks' UK and ROI footprint.
Broad incumbents
- Diageo plc: Global alcoholic-beverage major that owns competing RTD brands (Smirnoff Ice, Gordon's RTDs, Tanqueray 0.0%) and is rapidly building a no/low portfolio. Overlaps with SHS Drinks across WKD, bottlegreen Edwards Vodka Spritz, and the no-alcohol occasion.
- Asahi Group Holdings: Global brewer and beverage owner with UK presence (Fuller's, Cornish Orchards, Asahi Super Dry). Competes in UK craft cider, mid-strength and mainstream RTD occasions relevant to WKD, Shandy Shack and Merrydown.
Regional players
- Thatchers Cider: Independent family-run cider producer from Somerset with strong UK supermarket presence. Directly comparable to Merrydown as a premium UK cider brand reliant on the same grocery multiples and on-trade venues as SHS Drinks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SHS Drinks social profiles
Digital presenceSHS Drinks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SHS Drinks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SHS Drinks subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries21 records
SHS Drinks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SHS Drinks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SHS Drinks
What does SHS Drinks do?
SHS Drinks manufactures and markets a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages under owned brands including WKD (the UK's #1 Ready-to-Drink brand), bottlegreen (#1 UK cordial brand), Shloer (alcohol alternative), Merrydown cider, Rocks squashes, Blossom Cottage cordials, Shandy Shack mid-strength beer, and O Water. The company sells through major UK and Irish retailers, on-trade hospitality accounts, and exports to over 40 countries, with in-house bottling via its wholly-owned Caledonian Bottlers subsidiary.
Is SHS Drinks a public or private company?
SHS Drinks is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SHS Drinks founded?
SHS Drinks was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SHS Drinks based?
SHS Drinks is headquartered in Gloucester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does SHS Drinks make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Beverage product sales are the primary driver. The others are manufacturing services.
Who are SHS Drinks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AG Barr plc, Halewood International, Britvic plc, Nichols plc (Vimto) and C&C Group plc. Broad incumbents are Diageo plc and Asahi Group Holdings. Thatchers Cider is listed as a regional player.
Does SHS Drinks have an API?
No public API is recorded for SHS Drinks.
What industry is SHS Drinks in?
SHS Drinks's product category is Alcoholic Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAL, Alcoholic Beverage Brand Owners & Holding Companies (Multi-category Portfolios), with a secondary code of CRADAHAB, Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks). Its NAICS code is 3121 and its SIC code is 2080.