New product variants for Magners

Magners maker C&C looks set to launch one or more new variants to the cider brand late this year or early in 2009.

It is widely expected that the brand credited with kicking off the cider boom will follow its competitors into adding a pear cider and/ or a fruit cider into its portfolio. The company already has a perry, Ritz, on sale in Ireland, but it is thought that a new product would better meet the tastes of UK consumers.

A senior pubco source told The Publican they had been informed C&C was about to launch a "number of variants, probably early next year. Given the popularity of pear and fruit cider, we are expecting it to be that".

Magners brand manager Richard Barnes said: "We are looking at various product developments to innovate, and you can probably guess what those are." He added that the trade should expect an official announcement on the product from C&C before the end of 2008.

C&C made a major coup earlier this month by appointing former Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) chief John Dunsmore as its chief executive, along with two of his former S&N colleagues. Dunsmore forced a major challenge to Magners' dominance of the cider market when in charge of S&N rival brand Bulmers. Industry insiders have predicted that instigating the launch of product variants would be one of the ways in which Dunsmore would try to reinvigorate Magners' declining sales.

Davin Nugent, managing director of Kopparberg's UK distributor Cider of Sweden, said: "I would not be a bit surprised if Magners were to bring out more variants. The market has changed utterly since they emerged, and fruit cider is the biggest growth category at the moment within alcohol. Given their new management, it would stand to reason."