The Pepsi challenge comes to the UAE

When the Concorde visited Dubai in April 1996 as part of a round-the-world tour to promote the rebranding of Pepsi, the soft drink was still Dh1. That changed this week after 22 years.

Dubai aviation officials watch the arrival of Pepsi's Concorde, leased from Air France and sporting the new electric-blue Pepsi colours, which stopped over in the Gulf Arab emirate April 7 while on a Show more

When the Concorde visited Dubai in April 1996 as part of a round-the-world tour to promote the rebranding of Pepsi, Bill Clinton was president of the United States, an unknown writer called JK Rowling had been offered an advance of £1,500 (Dh8,500) for a book about a boy wizard called Harry Potter, and the Olympic Games were due to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Pepsi's great rival, Coca-Cola.

Oh, and the price of a can of both soft drinks in the UAE was Dh1.

Until this week, the price of a Coke or Pepsi was still Dh1, a 22-year record that had stood since Coke entered the local market in 1988. Inflation during that period stands at roughly 85 per cent, meaning the price of the beverages should be Dh1.85. So the increase to Dh1.50 means that a can of Coke or Pepsi still represents a good deal.

The social implications, though, have still to be measured. Every drinks vending machine will need to be adjusted, the biggest change since the one-dirham coin was struck in 1995. More importantly, will there be enough 50 fils coins to go around? Got change?

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