NEWS GENERAL:
Morning Advertiser launches Freehouse 500 pub club
An exclusive club of 500 freehouse licensees has been formed by the Morning Advertiser to offer advice and business-building tips across the sector. Sponsored by San Miguel, Bulmers and Coca-Cola Enterprises, the club was lunched with a day-long seminar at Claridge’s in London’s Mayfair on Tuesday 6 October.
Wetherspoon to introduce 13 new drinks
New drinks include:
- Tuborg and Carlsberg on draught
- Lucky, a lager brewed and bottled in China
- Marcle Hill Cider (traditional still cider from Westons of Herefordshire) on draught.
- Frank’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer (from the makers of Kopparberg) exclusive to Wetherspoon pubs
- Crabbie’s alchoholic ginger beer
- Monster (the number one energy drink in the USA), together with a lo-carb option will be available
- Buffalo Trace Bourbon
- Three new soft drinks from Hartridge’s, Ginger Beer, Cloudy Lemonade and Root Beer
- Two new wines are being added to the range of drinks; Hardys Private Bin Chardonnay and Hardys Private Bin Shiraz
Masterclasses for British Food Fortnight
Pub goers can get a get a free masterclass with renowned cookery writer and author Maxine Clark as part of British Food Fortnight. Guests can enjoy an introduction to game meats, learn how to decipher between cuts, how to prepare them and how create great game dishes at home. They will also receive a complimentary goody bag to take home, complete with recipe book, selected Highland Game products and British drinks.
Great British Pub Awards: photo gallery
The Powys pub, which specialises in simple, fresh food made with local ingredients, is run by Anthony Christopher. Christopher received the overall prize at the glittering ceremony in London last night.
JDW looks for World Cup advantage with Carlsberg
JD Wetherspoon are stocking Carlsberg instead of Coors so they care able to take advantage of Carlsberg’s sponsorship of the England football team in World Cup year.
Consumers spending less on pub meals
On average consumers spent £189.61 on eating out in the high street during the first six months of 2009, compared to £200.26 last year — a 6% decrease and “The eating out market is unlikely to improve into 2010,” said Horizons managing director Peter Backman.
Win £2,000 worth of marketing support for your pub
Smirnoff is offering creative licensees the chance to win £2,000 worth of marketing support. The vodka brand is looking to support and reward innovative licensees through its Creative Grants scheme. Licensees tell their vision for a unique event at their venue and they could win £2,000 worth of marketing support from Smirnoff, who will promote the event to help increase footfall.
BEER, ALE & CIDER:
Lighter Guinness for Scottish drinkers
The 2.8% abv beer, compared to normal Guinness at 4.1%, has been on trial in Limerick since 2006 and was extended to Dublin the following year. Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said she welcomed the initiative. “Giving consumers this kind of choice is crucial in creating a culture where it’s acceptable and normal to opt for lower-alcohol products.”
250th Anniversary of Arthur Guinness
Diageo Great Britain is celebrating the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness signing the lease on the St James’s Gate brewery in Ireland by inviting consumers to ‘raise a glass to Arthur.’ The £3million marketing campaign includes a new commemorative label for Guinness Original and special Arthur’s Day promotional packs.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=independentarticle&ID=203448
Buzz about Bud
Budweiser is launching what supplier InBev describes as its biggest press and outdoor campaign ever. The nine-week ‘Good Times They’re Out There’ promotion appears in city centres and on the London underground in the evenings and at weekends. There will also be more than 1,300 illuminated posters around city centres for maximum visibility at night.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=independentarticle&ID=203449
Bulmers: squeeze in some summer
Scottish & Newcastle UK is launching the biggest ever press and poster campaign for Bulmers, its premium bottled cider, with a series of posters bearing the ‘Squeezing the Best out of the British Summer’ strapline. The campaign will also run in leading men’s magazine titles including FHM, GQ and Empire together with The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer. The advertisements encourage people to use their initiative to make the most of the late summer sunshine.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=independentarticle&ID=203447
It’s four more years with FA for Carlsberg
Carlsberg UK has signed a deal to extend its sponsorship of The Football Association by a further four years. The FA’s relationship with Carlsberg UK will have lasted 19 years by the end of the contract one of sport’s longest-running commercial relationships.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=203341
Miller Brands signs up to SIBA
Miller Brands UK (MBUK) has become the latest company to sign up as an associate member of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA). Mike Edwards, director of sales – multiple on-trade at MBUK, said: “Like existing SIBA members, we have a passion for producing quality, distinctive beers and want to give drinkers the opportunity to try the great variety of styles and flavours that are now available.”
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65135&c=1
Carlsberg UK says Tetley cask bitter is “secure”
Despite the proposed closure of the Leeds brewery where it is made Carlsberg UK boss Isaac Sheps has given the clearest indication that the cask version of Tetley’s Bitter has a future. “We have been in talks with brewers in Yorkshire who have the capacity to brew the cask version. I can promise CAMRA it will not disappear.”
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65129&c=1
Hobgoblin T-shirts up for grabs
Pubs can get their staff kitted out in Hobgoblin T-shirts if they order two nine gallon casks of the beer in the run-up to Hallowe’en. Sales of Hobgoblin, which has been positioned as the unofficial beer of Hallowe’en, have increased 35 per cent year on year.
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65101
WINES:
Wines of Argentina closes UK office
With the closing of the UK office the UK & Asia manager, Andrew Maidment will be responsible for developing marketing and promotional strategies that will focus more on the consumer and food and wine matching, working with a UK based agency and coming over once every three months.
Green issues must be addressed
Trade leaders have urged the wine industry to do more to drive the “green agenda” forward before it is forced to do so by the government or EU. Direct Wines chief executive Simon McMurtrie said: “I don’t think the wine industry has woken up yet to the fact that this is a reality. [We must] start addressing that in the next few years before someone forces us to.”
http://www.offlicencenews.co.uk/articles/73527/Green-issues-must-be-addressed.aspx?categoryid=9059
Chile champion
Constellation Europe has launched the Gran Tierra range, designed to be a “power brand” in the fast-growing Chilean category. Chilean wines are currently growing by 22% in value and 16.8% by volume, compared to annual growth of 6.5% and 2.5% respectively in the off trade wine market.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=independentarticle&ID=203446
New bottle size for Jacob’s Creek
Pernod Ricard has launched 50cl bottles of its Jacob’s Creek Three Vines wine range following data sources including Jacob’s Creek-commissioned research showed growing interest in this mid-size format. More than one in five wine drinkers would consider purchasing a 50cl bottle rather than a 25cl single serve bottle and a third of consumers new to the wine category said they would be more likely to trial wine if smaller packs were made available.
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65097&c=2
SPIRITS:
Pernod Ricard turns to off-trade
Pernod Ricard is increasing its advertising and promotions budget and shifting emphasis in favour of the off-trade. The move includes a new marketing campaign for Malibu and the first cinema advertising in the UK for Chivas Regal. The new campaign for Malibu will focus on digital media, to hit its target market of people aged 18 to mid-20s.
http://www.offlicencenews.co.uk/articles/73342/Pernod-Ricard-turns-to-off-trade.aspx?categoryid=9059
SOFT DRINKS:
Isklar appoints WARL for sales promotion brief
Isklar Norwegian Glacial Natural Mineral Water has appointed WARL as its sales promotions agency. The £2m account was previously with now defunct agency Intelligent Marketing.