Carling has announced the return of its limited-edition FA Cup themed cans to celebrate its partnership with the Emirates FA Cup.
The eye-catching can artwork, featuring the famous FA Cup trophy and Wembley arch, is set to arrive on shelves across all retailers at the end of September to build up excitement amongst football fans.
The design will appear on all single cans and multipacks of Carling and will be supported by always-on social media activity centred around the brand’s footballing heritage.
Carling is once again backing the Emirates FA Cup for the 2024/25 season. The brand will also sponsor talkSPORT’s Emirates FA Cup and UEFA Nations League coverage, with Carling branding featuring prominently on match previews and reviews on talkSPORT Drive.
“Carling is the lager brand consumers most commonly associate with football – a reputation we’ve built through our support for every level of the game,” said Lee Willett, Carling Brand Director at Molson Coors Beverage Company. “The Emirates FA Cup embodies this, open to clubs from the top to the bottom of the football pyramid, making it a perfect partnership.
“The FA Cup is fast approaching, whichpresents a massive opportunity for our customers to drive sales. We hope the return of our iconic limited-edition cans backed by our sponsorship of talkSPORT’s FA Cup coverage will help our customers excite football fans planning to watch or listen to big games with their friends and family, while leveraging Carling’s footballing heritage.”
The launch of the cans and ongoing partnership with the FA Cup further strengthens Carling’s close ties with football across the UK, at all levels. It builds on its partnerships with the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, the Football Association of Wales (FAW), Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and a host of top clubs including Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Carling is also supporting local football clubs up and down the country through its ongoing Grassroots Goals initiative, in partnership with Umbro, by giving them the opportunity to win prizes including new team kits throughout the course of the year.
Global vaping innovator ELFBAR has introduced its first four-pod system, the ELFBAR 4-in-1 pod kit.
Designed for flavour versatility, the rechargeable pod kit includes four 2ml pods, allowing adults to rotate between four flavours in one device.
Flavours are a key factor in motivating adult smokers to transition, with the Royal College of Physicians recommending a variety of options to support quit-smoking efforts. ELFBAR 4-in-1 gives smokers flavour flexibility and serves as an alternative to single-use vapes, building on the brand's portfolio of reusable products available since 2022.
Offering two vaping modes, ELFBAR 4-in-1 provides up to 2,400 puffs in Normal Mode while Economy Mode extends usage up to 3,200 puffs for a longer vaping experience at a lower power level.
One push of a button switches between the two modes, and the device displays when Economy Mode is active.
ELFBAR 4-in-1 has a twist mechanism for quick and easy flavour changes. With four 2ml prefilled pods, its e-liquid lasts four times longer than its single-use counterpart, meaning fewer refills for more convenience and better cost efficiency.
Once empty, the pods can be replaced.
The device features a display that indicates the remaining power of its long lasting 1500mAh battery. Its sleek, pocket-friendly design makes for easy portability, and the battery can be recharged via Type-C USB.
Advanced Mesh Coil Maximises Flavour
ELFBAR 4-in-1 pods are equipped with an advanced QUAQ MESH coil, designed to enhance flavour and reduce e-liquid waste during atomisation, ensuring that every drop is utilised effectively.
“For millions of UK adult smokers and former smokers who adopt vaping as an alternative, flavours are crucial," said Chris Kader, head of PR and communications for ELFBAR in the UK. "ELFBAR 4-in-1 serves as a practical and economical replacement for single-use vapes, prioritising a diverse flavour selection that supports smokers in their transition.”
ELFBAR 4-in-1 comes in 16 editions, including Pineapple Edition, Fruits Edition, and Blueberry Edition, each containing mixed flavours. Additionally, there are eight single-flavour 4-in-1 options to choose from, including Watermelon Ice, Blueberry Sour Raspberry and Cherry Ice.
Replaceable pods are available in pairs containing 20 mg/ml (two per cent) nicotine-strength e-liquid and available in 16 flavours, including ELFBAR favourites like Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Pineapple Ice, and Lemon Lime.
Diablo, the producer of disobediently good wines, has inked a partnership with new musical The Devil Wears Prada, which makes its UK debut in London this month.
Diablo (which means "devil" in Spanish) will feature on programmes, and competitions will be run to award tickets for the shows, which run until 31 May 2025. Diablo wines will also be poured at Elton John’s Opening Night Gala at the British Museum in London on 1 December, where a bespoke "Diablo" bar will be built.
The Devil Wears Prada Musical is a new stage adaptation of the popular 2006 film, itself based on Lauren Weisberger's novel.
The Diablo wine brand, first launched in 2018, is growing at a phenomenal rate in the UK, +33.4 per cent by value in the past 52 weeks. It has successfully introduced new wines into its portfolio, with the original Diablo Dark Red being joined by Chardonnay, and most recently Purple Malbec, Volcanic Cab and Deep Carmenere, all listed in major multiple grocers.
Diablo is attracting a distinctive younger and more affluent shopper (45 per cent of its shoppers are under 45 versus 14 per cent of shoppers across total still wine).
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the brand," said Javiera Moller, Senior Brand Manager at Concha y Toro UK. "The Devil Wears Prada is an iconic and much-loved story, now brought to life on the London stage with a star cast and a great score by Elton John, and the 'devil' connection makes it a perfect partner for our brand.
“Our audience are disruptive, intelligent, stylish and early adopters of brands and trends. This partnership gives us the chance to activate with our target consumers, and build the profile of an already-thriving wine brand.”
From its initial launch in 2018 with Diablo Dark Red blend, the brand now has six wines in multiple retail distribution in the UK:
Diablo Dark Red
Diablo Volcanic Cabernet Sauvignon
Diablo Purple Malbec
Diablo Deep Carmenere
Diablo Golden Chardonnay
Diablo Crystal Sauvignon Blanc
The brand has grown from £2 million in retail sales value in the UK less than five years ago to be worth over £20 million today (RSV).
Scandinavian Tobacco Group UK has introduced this year’s limited-edition pack for its ever-popular Henri Wintermans Half Corona brand, which is available to retailers now.
The Henri Wintermans Half Corona is easily the biggest brand in the medium / large segment and is now the UK’s fifth biggest selling cigar in value terms, with annual sales worth £16.3m. This new limited edition “Gentleman” pack adds a personal touch to the brand and celebrates its long heritage and continuing success, designed in a timeless pin stripe suit with the logo and information stitched into the fabric, which reflects both the aspirational nature of the product and the attention to detail that goes into crafting these fine cigars. Despite the changes to the packaging, the cigars inside of course remain the same.
“Retailers certainly won’t need me to tell them that sales of larger cigars go up in the build up to Christmas when adult smokers are in celebratory mood and typically have more time to enjoy them,” said STG’s UK Head of Marketing, Prianka Jhingan. “Our Henri Wintermans Half Corona is always a big seller at this time of year and this limited issue Gentleman’s edition pack should only increase sales further. My advice to retailers is to stock up on it, as it is easily the UK’s best-selling medium / large cigar and has a loyal following due to its quality blend and heritage.”
KP Snacks today announces the latest addition to its market-leading PMP range with the launch of Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP. Available in stores from early November, the new launch combines the fastest-growing Space Raiders flavour with the strength of the £1.25 PMP format.
Capitalising on the growth of “barbecue” flavours, the new launch is well-positioned to engage shoppers and drive impulse sales, with 57% of impulse shoppers purchasing PMPs. The £1.25 PMP format is strong and KP Snacks’ £1.25 PMP portfolio is growing ahead of the segment at +5.2 per cent (vs +4.2 per cent), bolstering sales. By launching Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP, KP Snacks is tapping into the strength of the segment and appealing to consumer demand for great value and clear pricing.
The new PMP expands the Space Raiders portfolio. Worth £25m, the Space Raiders range includes Space Raiders 40p PMPs, the UK’s number one best-value singles PMP, as well as existing £1.25 PMPs: Beef and Pickled Onion.
“At KP Snacks, we are committed to delivering NPD in the right formats and flavours to support our retailer partners and drive consumer demand,” said Stuart Graham, Head of Convenience and Impulse. “The launch of Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP leverages the strength of this format and the popularity of barbecue flavours to drive impulse sales.”
Gordon’s is today unveiling its new ATL campaign, "Mix It Up". The ad, which shows consumers choosing to pace their consumption by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%, has been created to empower consumers to moderate their consumption in a way that works for them.
Mix It Up is the first Gordon’s campaign to bring both Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink alcohol-free variants together in one advert. With 36 per cent of drinkers currently pacing their consumption with soft drinks and 49 per cent of alcohol-free occasions also featuring alcohol, the campaign offers those looking to moderate an option that doesn’t compromise on taste.
The new TVC invites viewers to join an evening out with a group of friends. As the group begin to drink their Gordon’s & Tonic, the screen splits in two to visually demonstrate how they choose to pace their night by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%.
In addition to the new TVC, a suite of assets have been created to bring the campaign to life across social and digital channels. Whilst in the same universe as the commercial, the social content hero’s Gordon's long-term partner Maya Jama who brings to life how she chooses to mix it up for followers.
“When creating this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate that moderation didn’t have to be a binary decision between having something alcoholic or alcohol free," said Tayara Sousa Linke, Global Head of Marketing. "We know that this perceived choice impacts people’s decision to moderate, so, through Mix It Up, we wanted to highlight that it is possible to seamlessly switch between the two and enjoy the same great taste of Gordon’s Pink whilst moderating with Gordon’s Pink Alcohol Free.”
The new creative will run across BVOD, Social and Digital channels in GB.