Promoted: Westons Cider helps outlets tap into trade-up opportunity
Westons Cider, the UK’s leading authentic cider maker, is building on the off-trade success of its £64.5M[1] Henry Westons brand, with the launch of Henry Westons Vintage Draught – the established brand’s first ever cider in draught format.
Refreshing, medium-dry and sparkling, new Henry Westons Vintage Draught (ABV 5.2%) is a smooth, perfectly rounded cider, packed with exceptional character.
Value sales for the Henry Westons brand have almost doubled in the past five years (+90%)[2], and its unwavering popularity highlights the growing appeal of premium, crafted ciders among UK consumers.
By launching Henry Westons Vintage Draught, Westons Cider plans to extend the brand’s quality credentials out of the home and will be adding to the four Henry Westons bag-in-box products first made available to the on-trade last summer.
The new Henry Westons Vintage Draught liquid will help outlets reinvigorate the premium cider category and drive significant value growth for the on-trade as consumers ‘trade up’ for an authentic, high-quality serve.
“We’ve seen a huge rise in sales of crafted ciders over the past year, and this subsector is now growing at a rate over five times faster than the overall category[3],” says Sally McKinnon, Head of Marketing at Westons Cider. “Our Henry Westons brand is perfectly primed to help the on-trade make the most of this, established as a benchmark for the highest quality, best-tasting crafted cider.
“Henry Westons is our star-performer in retail, and we’ve built a loyal shopper base who purchase this brand regularly. In fact, our Henry Westons Vintage retail product is the UK’s biggest glass bottled cider and attracted 66.6% more shoppers in 2020[4], with one bottle now sold every second[5].”
As a category-leading brand, Henry Westons has the highest pence per litre in the off-trade when compared with all draught competitors[6]. What’s more, Henry Westons was previously the only top five apple cider brand not to be represented on draught.
“By expanding our bestselling brand and bringing a new Henry Westons Vintage Draught liquid to pubs, bars and restaurants, we’re confident we can help outlets capitalise on the brand’s renowned quality and taste credentials. By offering our on-trade customers a premium, trade-up option we will help them to drive greater value sales in outlet.”
The launch of Henry Westons Vintage Draught will be supported by a £2 million above-the-line campaign, which will see the Henry Westons brand advertised nationally via a heavy-weight outdoor media campaign throughout the summer.
“We’re continuing to invest in a multi-million-pound brand programme throughout 2021, so on-trade retailers would be wise to stock up on Henry Westons Vintage Draught when awareness for the Henry Westons brand family is at an all-time-high (51%)[7],” concludes McKinnon.
In 1880 Henry Weston first started crafting cider from the bitter-sweet apples grown on his farm in Much Marcle, Herefordshire. Over many years, he refined the art of Herefordshire cider making.
Today, Henry Westons Vintage Cider is crafted only from apples grown in a single year’s harvest in the three counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. The cider is then slowly matured, spending time in aged oak vats, to deliver a smooth and rounded cider.
Run by the fourth generation of the Weston family, Westons Cider – based in Herefordshire – also produces brands Stowford Press, Mortimer’s Orchard and Rosie’s Pig.
Henry Westons Vintage Draught is available now to on-trade retailers nationwide.
[1] IRI 52 w/e 22.05.21
[2] IRI Total Market – July 2020
[3] IRI 52 w/e 27.05.21
[4] IRI 52 w/e 27.05.21
[5] Westons Salesout MAT
[6] IRI 52 w/e 24.04.21
[7] Kantar 52 w/e 18.04.21
