Westons Cider predicts biggest winter of cider

Leading cider maker Westons Cider has urges retailers to capitalise on what it predicts will be a historic winter for cider sales.

The producer forecasts record cider sales as the first ever winter World Cup falls among a busy season of celebrations including Halloween, Christmas and New Year.

Previously considered a summer staple, cider is increasingly becoming a versatile year-round beverage ideal for all drinking occasions – with ciders sales soaring in December compared to November (+25%), according to IRI data.

This winter, with many Brits planning to host an at-home celebration, Westons Cider says its crucial retailers do not overlook the category as the nights draw in.

In its latest annual cider report, the Herefordshire cider maker highlighted the importance of major sporting events for the cider industry with sales significantly uplifting around football tournaments.

“With the FIFA World Cup taking place in the winter for the first time this year, an exciting opportunity has opened up for cider. If retailers can stock up in advance, and communicate the events to customers, they will be able to reap the benefits from Halloween right through Christmas party season and into the new year,” says Darryl Hinksman, Head of Business Development at Westons Cider.

“By bringing forward any Christmas offers or advertising to mid-November, creating off-shelf displays and prioritising bestsellerssuch as our Henry Westons Vintage – which now sells one bottle every second – retailers will be able to capitalise on increased sales from the World Cup and see escalated sales transition seamlessly into the festive period.”

To help retailers maximise shelf space and keep up with demand, Westons Cider has added to its variety of bigger pack formats, including six and eight packs of the popular Henry Westons range (+7.8% total range, Henry Westons Vintage 6 pack +14.2% yoy) and the star-performer in multiple retail channels, the Stowford Press ten pack (+292% YOY).

The brand’s recently introduced price-marked pint can four-pack of Stowford Press Apple Cider is also a great way for retailers to maximise profits as pint cans significantly over trade in the convenience channel with a 7.4 per cent share of cans value compared to 3.8 per cent in total market.

“When it comes to family get togethers at home, larger pack formats which cater to moments of ‘togetherness’ are paramount,” continues Hinksman. “Multi-packs continue to be popular choices for shoppers – this can be seen especially in the performance of our Stowford Press 10-pack which is significantly outperforming market growth. By stocking a variety of larger pack sizes retailers can rest assured that they are tapping into a key seasonal trend which will help drive sales year-round.”

The crafted Henry Westons range, now worth a staggering £71.8 million, also provides retailers with an opportunity to drive value sales within the growing cider subcategory, thanks to a higher average price per litre. The portfolio – including Henry Westons Cloudy Vintage (7.3%), Henry Westons Vintage Rosé (5.5%) and Henry Westons Organic Cider (6%) – offers shoppers characterful ciders in a range of flavours perfectly suited to wintertime.

Run by the fourth generation of the Weston family, the company produces popular ciders including Old Rosie, Rosie’s Pig and Mortimer’s Orchard, and distributes Veltins German Pilsener in the UK.