Acer to sell energy drink with aim of becoming lifestyle brand

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) Acer Inc., one of Taiwan's leading PC vendors, which is making efforts to transform itself from a pure PC brand to a "lifestyle" brand, has set up a new drinks business division and will put its own energy drink on sale in July.

Acer Chairman Jason Chen (陳俊聖) told reporters earlier this week that Acer is launching its first energy drink, named "Predator Shot," which is an extension of the product line from its gaming PC "Predator" series.

Chen said the PC market is mature with a lot of competition and that Acer cannot afford to just sit there to wait for any positive change under such circumstances.

Instead, Chen said, Acer has to do more, vaulting itself over the business boundary, which is why it is seeking to become a lifestyle brand by selling beverages related to its core PC business.

Acer is not the first hardware supplier to produce energy-boosting goods. Last year, Razer Inc. a Colorado-based gaming PC and accessory supplier, brought its "Respawn" powdered energy drink mix to the market.

Chen cited an internal survey as saying that the targeted clients of energy drinks include gamers who use the beverages to keep their energy levels up when playing.

According to Acer, "Predator Shot" contains vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B. Chen said gamers also need Lutein to protect their eyes when they spend a long time staring at a PC screen.

In addition to the "Predator Shot," Chen said Acer will also launch a collagen drink targeting female gamers.

Chen said Acer is scheduled to begin shipping the beverages in July through e-commerce platforms after spending about six months in preparation and securing certifications for the products. "Predator Shot" will go on sale in Taiwan and Europe, while the collagen drink will go on sale in Taiwan, Chen said.

Chen added that two more drinks are being planned.

In 2019, non-PC operations accounted for 15 percent of Acer's total sales, up from 6-7 percent six years ago, the PC brand said.

According to Gartner, Acer ranked as the fifth-largest PC supplier in the world in the first quarter of 2020, with a market share of 5.6 percent, behind China's Lenovo Group Ltd. (24.4 percent), U.S.-based HP Inc. (21.5 percent), Dell Inc. (19.7 percent) and Apple Inc. (6.9 percent).