It’s Been Sweet; Time to Say Goodbye to the Old 7-Up

The maker of 7-Up is changing its flavor to make it crisper and less sweet--that is, more like market leader Sprite.

Dr Pepper/Seven-Up Cos. plans to announce the flavor change Monday at a meeting of bottlers in San Antonio, a source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Associated Press.

The Wall Street Journal reported in Tuesday’s editions that the company planned to reformulate the drink.

Mike Martin, a spokesman for Dr Pepper/Seven-Up in Dallas, had no comment on the report. The company is owned by Britain’s Cadbury/Schweppes. Its American depositary receipts fell 38 cents to close at $38 on Tuesday.

7-Up sales rocketed in the late ‘60s, when it was marketed as “the uncola.” But the beverage has been losing market share in the last decade to Coca-Cola’s Sprite.

Its share is now 30% to 40% of the lemon-lime drink category.

“There is a lot more competition today for what the industry calls ‘throat space,’ ” Martin said. “There are just a lot more products on the market.”