Interbrew injects £11m into new-look Boddies and Bass

by Tony Halstead

Interbrew UK is to splash out £11m on its two leading cask-ale brands, Draught Bass and Boddington's, following the transfer of the two beers to new brewing homes at Marston's, Burton-on-Trent, and Hydes, at Moss Side, Manchester.

The bulk of the investment will focus on improved dispense quality and in-house marketing support for licensees in a bid to give the two brands a new high profile and lease of life.

Interbrew insists both beers will continue to play a key role in the company's long-term brand strategy plan and has dismissed speculation that cask ale is no more than a "sunset player" in its overall business.

The move of both brands to new homes was forced on Interbrew following the end of its contract with Coors for Draught Bass production and the closure of the Boddington's Brewery at Strangeways, Manchester.

The beginning of March saw the final integration into the trade of the new-look brands.

Interbrew said exhaustive test brewing trials on both beers had been a success and the company was confident it had achieved a "match" for both beers.

Ales marketing manager Kevin Ward said the two beers would receive substantial support and back-up during 2005, particularly directed towards licensees.

"We will be concentrating on initiatives designed to ensure product quality, which will be activated in a number of ways.

"The investment will not be in terms of massive advertising and external marketing, but directed towards licensees and their pubs, who are the key people at the user end of the market.

"There will be an emphasis on quality dispense innovation together with a host of in-house activity to help licensees build their business," he said.

Both beers will benefit from the introduction of a cylinderless beer engine ­ the first branded system of its type currently on trial ­ to address key issues of quality and dispense.

The new engine will deliver a "theatre" style message to customers allowing them to see their pint being pulled at bar level.

The emergence of "new" Draught Bass and Boddington's have been preceded by comprehensive market and customer research by Interbrew, which has included a series of quality audits across the company's customer base.

Managing director of on-trade sales Colin Pedrick stressed that Interbrew was still fully committed to cask ale, despite the general decline of the ale category over the years.

"Ale still accounts for 32% of on-trade beer volumes and cask beer accounts for one in every 10 pints sold, amounting to over 12 million pints per week and that is still a lot of volume," he said.

"There are a number of factors contributing to ale's decline such as image and a persisting problem of product quality, but these can be changed with the right approach," he said.