Hofmeister is 'under review'
Hofmeister, one of the UK's most famous lager brands, is heading for the cellar in the sky following a Scottish Courage decision to review its growing portfolio.
The iconic lager, famous for the "Follow the Bear" advertising campaign featuring George, a pork-pie-hat-wearing bear, is one of a number of brands "under review" at Scottish Courage with Courage Light Ale also under threat as well as a number of off-trade brands.
Hofmeister, 3.8 per cent ABV, was a firm favourite among UK lager drinkers in the 1980s but in recent years the brand has borne the brunt of a drinking shift towards more premium brands and has played second fiddle to the likes of Foster's and Miller in the ScotCo stable.
Nigel Pollard of Scottish Courage confirmed that it has been more than a decade since any money was put behind the brand and that distribution was now confined to only 150 outlets in the South.
"The brand has served us extremely well in the past when low strength lagers were popular," said Mr Pollard. "We don't want to prophesy its downfall too soon but we need to review its future in light of the rise and rise of premium brands and the huge success of Foster's."
Mr Pollard added that the days of Courage Light Ale are also numbered with little sign of a renaissance of the once popular bottled light ale sector.
The decision to clear the decks of under-performing brands should allow ScotCo to focus more on the newly acquired Bulmers brands such as Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack.
