You might think of cider as just for summer sipping but sales data shows that it is also a popular drink during the festive season.
In fact, while some associate seasonal celebrations with Champagne and spirits, it is worth noting that CGA figures show cider is popular throughout this season. In fact, premium flavoured cider sees an uplift in share in December, second only to peak summer.
Christmas brings with it a great opportunity to trade more– the period accounts for almost 10% of total wet sales and average price per litre reaches its highest during this time - it’s a good idea to think about how the category can help further boost sales and spend per head.
It is, therefore, just as important to ensure your cider selection sparkles at this time of year, as much as any other.
TRADE UP TIME
Insight shows that customers are in an adventurous mood during Christmas visits to pubs, bars and restaurants. In fact, nearly half are likely, or very likely, to try different drinks when out over the festive period and of these, 84% would be likely or very likely to repurchase the drink or brand they tried.
This is a huge opportunity for operators to stock and promote exciting brands that offer more attractive margins. Premium flavoured ciders such as Old Mout Cider – now the biggest flavoured cider by volume and value in the on-trade – are perfectly placed to reflect this, with a range of popular and more exotic flavours to tempt consumers to trade up.
Old Mout Varieties such as Berries & Cherries, Kiwi & Lime and Pineapple & Raspberry combine familiar yet exciting fruit flavours in a way that has proved a big hit with consumers. The brand now puts more money in a publican’s till than any of its competitors.
On draught, CGA data shows Old Mout Cider to have the highest value rate-of-sale in premium flavoured cider and it is the biggest premium flavoured cider brand on draught, commanding the highest price per pint of its competitor set.
In bottle, it is now the biggest packaged flavoured cider brand in the market and is growing in popularity across all types of venues.
ALCOHOL-FREE OPPORTUNITY
Moderation continues to be a significant opportunity for on-trade operators with insight showing that the majority of UK adults (77%) now moderate how much they drink. One in three pub visits now do not include alcohol and, while this may drop slightly during the party season, we can expect consumers maintain their shift to a more mindful way of drinking.
The trade, however, continues to miss out on No and Low alcohol sales. Some estimates suggest a quarter of consumers turn to tap water when abstaining from alcohol in the on-trade, due to a perceived lack of alcohol-free options – representing a whopping £800m in missed sales for the sector.
Ensuring that popular No and Low alcohol brands such as Old Mout Alcohol Free Cider are available is therefore very important. However, in order to really make the most of the trade-up opportunity, ensuring visibility of the available alcohol-free options is key.
Old Mout Berries & Cherries is now the number one alcohol-free cider in the UK, more than three times as big as its nearest competitor and comprising two-thirds of the category by value.
Old Mout Alcohol Free Cider should therefore be given prime position at the top of fridges. Promoting premium Low and No Alcohol Cider options such as these on PoS and other marketing materials will also boost sales by encouraging trade-up, while training bar staff to make recommendations of No and Low Alcohol ciders will help drive extra spend as well.
EXTENDING CIDER SEASON
Promoting tempting No and Low Alcohol options in this way, will continue to reap rewards post-Christmas as people look to moderate their drinking in January.
This continues to be a significant behaviour driver at the start of the year (some 175,000 people signed up to take part in Dry January last year, according to Alcohol Change UK). Venues that stocked and promoted a tempting range of No and Low Alcohol options during December, when customers are out partying, are likely to be top of mind for places to enjoy an alcohol-free drink come the start of 2025.
What’s more, continuing to promote popular No and Low Alcohol drinks such as the Old Mout Alcohol Free range through the typically quieter January-February period, will help to re-engage consumers. Highlighting the quality alcohol-free ciders and other options on offer on social media and outdoor signage will encourage people to get off the sofa and into their local pubs, bars and restaurants.
For more information on stocking Old Mout and other brands from HEINEKEN UK visit https://www.eazle.co.uk/huk/en/OldMout
