28-Aug-2013 By Robyn Black
The Grand National is to become the Crabbie’s Grand National under the terms of a new sponsorship deal between the alcoholic ginger beer and the famous steeplechase event.
22-Aug-2013 By Robyn Black
Alcopop brand WKD has teamed up with Spotify, the music streaming service, and DJs Lauren Pope and Melvin (one half of Rickie & Melvin from the Kiss FM Breakfast show) to create a series of “crowd sourced” nights out.
16-Jul-2013 By Robyn Black
Global Brands is extending its Hooch brand with two new flavours, a year after it revived the drink.
27-Jun-2013 By Robyn Black
Diageo has entered the cider category by rebranding its Jeremiah Weed brand as a “Kentucky Style Cider Brew.”
30-May-2013 By Robyn Black
Orange and green variants will join the WKD line up, as owner SHS Drinks looks to attract new drinkers to the brand by adding two of the most popular alcopop flavours to the range.
10-May-2013 By Robyn Black
Global Brands is channeling traditional British beach holidays in a new promotion for its VK RTD range.
15-Apr-2013 By Robyn Black
Global Brands has put its RTD range, VK, into bigger 500ml bottles, to tap into the trend for longer, over-ice drinks and mixed drinks served in pitchers.
On-trade beer volumes fall while RTD sales grow
18-Dec-2012 By John Harrington
On-trade beer volumes fell 5% in the year to 6 October, while RTD sales have received an unexpected lift as ciders, perries and premium spirits continue to drive growth in pubs and bars.
13-Dec-2012 By Robyn Black
Top comedians, including Sarah Millican and Steve Coogan, are set for a fruity time at this year’s British Comedy Awards.
01-Nov-2012 By Jessica Harvey
WKD Club Edition, the new late night variant introduced by Beverage Brands in March, will be supported by a series of parties in selected venues.
24-Oct-2012 By Robyn Black
Tens of thousands of WKD ‘cocktail kettles’ are being rolled out across the on-trade, as brand owner SHS Group looks to capitalise on the growth in the cocktail market.
10-Aug-2012
WKD has launched the latest in its line of “unique” merchandise with an augmented reality t-shirt aimed at students.
14-Mar-2012 By Matthew Moggridge
Molson Coors Brewing Company UK has licensed Global Brands to produce and distribute the Reef RTD brand.
05-Mar-2012 By By Matthew Moggridge
Maxxium UK is investing £10m in the launch of its first ever ready-to-drink (RTD) format for Sourz.
03-Feb-2012 By Noli Dinkovski
Global Brands is asking consumers to come up with a new VK flavour in time for Freshers’ Week celebrations in September.
18-Nov-2011 By Jssica Harvey
WKD is set to be backed with TV, in-outlet and digital support to ramp up consumer demand for the brand in the lead-up to Christmas, while stockists will receive a range of trade deals and free PoS.
18-Aug-2011 By Jessica Harvey
Halewood International is set to launch a new bottled RTD called Lazy Jack's in an effort to target 18 to 25-year-old men. The drinks manufacturer...
WKD launches first limited edition flavour
07-Feb-2011 By Robyn Black
New Purple flavour will be supported with a £3m campaign
£10m marketing push for VK
31-Jan-2011 By Jessica Harvey Jessica
This month, VK gets both an updated bottle design and a £10 million marketing push to boost sales throughout 2011. The campaign, which will sport...
Bacardi enters ready to drink cocktail market
21-Jan-2011 By Michelle Perrett
Bacardi Brown Forman is launching into the ready to drink cocktail market with Bacardi Mojito and Bacardi Cuba Libre. The move is to open up the...
Shandy goes Turbo with new drink
10-Jan-2011 By Claire Dodd Claire
Turbo Shandy, a new drink which aims to bridge the gap between lagers and RTDs, has been launched. The drink is brewed in the Lake District and...
Exclusive: Turbo shandy gets an RTD twist
13-Dec-2010 By Robyn Black
Turbo shandy - the mix of alcoholic lemonade and beer beloved by students - is to be launched as an RTD.
Drinks Product Launches of the Year: We have lift-off
13-Dec-2010 By Claire Dodd Claire
Christmas - it's the time of year where it's out with the old and in with the new. The scruffy old slippers with the hole in the right toe, and...
Abra-kebab-ra - WKD's Good Kebab Guide launched
05-Nov-2010
Forget the Michelin and Egon Ronay guides to great food. RTD brand WKD has produced its own foody bible to that most humble of after-hours snacks -...
26-Oct-2010 By Lesley Foottit
RTD brand VK is launching a promotion this weekend for Halloween called VK Vampire VKend with selected Luminar, Orchid and Marston's venues. Global...
20-Sep-2010 By Robyn Black
The Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer brand is moving into snacks, with the launch of a range of ginger-flavoured nuts. Brand owner Halewood...
Pub Bitch: WKD ads gone to pot
13-Sep-2010
Royal booze-up in brewery I felt disposed to get down on one knee last week when onto my desk floated an invitation to the official Royal opening of...
01-Jun-2010 By John Harrington
Tesco is the only supermarket to sell alcohol below duty plus VAT, the definition of cost-price favoured by many in the off-trade — including the...
'Tesco could still sell booze below cost'
23-May-2010
Last week Tesco declared it was prepared to stop selling alcohol below cost price and would back the imposition of minimum prices. But a spokesman...
29-Apr-2010 By Robyn Lewis
Halewood International has repositioned its Sidekick brand to cash in on the demand for long drinks and pitchers. The brand is being given a new...
15-Oct-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Fizzy sambuca is set to hit UK bars in the form of a new RTD range from distributor Hi Spirits. The company is hoping the launch will capitalise on...
Comment: Sambuca alcopop anyone?
13-Oct-2009
There we all were waiting for a sambuca-based RTD and along come two at once. The RTD category is apparently in terminal decline, pubs selling 15.4...
Comment: How much impact will an alcohol advertising ban really have on pubs?
16-Sep-2009
How much of an impact would a ban on alcohol advertising have on pubs' ability to sell booze? Maybe not that much. The British Medical Association...
Wetherspoons confirms new drinks range
14-Sep-2009
Wetherspoons has confirmed it is introducing a large range of new drinks. As exclusively revealed by thepublican.com last week, alcoholic ginger beer...
Matt Eley: Tesco - not 'every little' deal helps
03-Sep-2009
The latest industry attempt to tackle problem drinking kicked-off this week with the launch of the Campaign for Smarter Drinking. Essentially this...
17-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Beverage Brands is launching a digital campaign for its cider WKD Core — it will include ads on social networking sites.
The Licensees' Choice Awards 2009
17-Aug-2009
Welcome to the very first Licensees' Choice Awards! This new initiative is designed to celebrate the drinks brands in the UK pub market that...
Carlsberg trials new drink for women
14-Aug-2009
A new type of drink developed by Carlsberg specifically to appeal to women is being trialled in 50 Manchester bars. On trial over a period of 12...
10-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Global Brands is looking for candidates to carry out academic research into what makes the perfect night out. The company's VK Vodka Kick brand is...
Comment: Pub pours chances of repeat custom away with its ullage
23-Jul-2009
The Publican's Beer Matters initiative continues to celebrate the best drinks service. It's also important to draw attention to the worst. This is a...
Taking the front foot against alcohol advertising regulators
17-Jul-2009
Pernod Ricard (PRUK) has launched the latest in a long line of responsible drinking ad campaigns by the giants of the drinks trade. It comes as...
Comment: Look, we are responsible!
14-Jul-2009
It's been a bad few weeks for alcohol advertisers, and it's got me thinking about the appropriate way for the drinks industry to respond to...
29-Jun-2009 By Ewan Turney
WKD producer Beverage Brands has unveiled a major new responsible drinking campaign. The campaign, Look after your mates, is targeted at 18-24...
24-Jun-2009 By Ewan Turney
Beverage Brand's new apple cider, WKD Core, has unveiled its first advertising campaign. The campaign will be led by a national outdoor campaign on...
17-Jun-2009 By Ewan Turney
WKD has unveiled two new campaigns to support the brand this month — on billboards and on radio. A 48-sheet outdoor billboard ad campaign will...
Instant cocktails
11-Jun-2009
From deepest Yorkshire comes the story of Pete the Postman. Having celebrated the end of each shift with the same pint of bitter in his local for...
Tesco boss defends alcohol promotions
03-Jun-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Ask licensees up and down the country what the biggest issues affecting them are, and you will be hit with a tirade. The beer tie, tax, the smoking...
Comment: Little to lose and lots to gain through supplier initiatives
20-May-2009
The journalist stereotype of the cynical old hack doesn't apply to me.I'm generally upbeat about drinks companies' efforts to drive footfall through...
Spirits training: Cask Marque turns it hand to spirits training
18-May-2009
The obvious product you would associate with trade body Cask Marque is beer, so it's a surprise to find it set to launch a comprehensive staff...
Summer special: How to sell drinks this summer
05-May-2009
One idea that works well in the summer would be to run a drinks festival. With the category booming, what better time to celebrate all things...
