Punch launches value wine list
The trade is making a move into value-focused wine offerings, inspired by the economic downturn.
Pub groups and suppliers alike are turning to cheaper wines to entice cash-strapped consumers.
Punch Taverns said its new wine list has been produced in response to declining sales. Wine sales across its pubs, it said, were broadly in line with figures from market analyst Nielsen showing year-on-year declines in wine sales in the on-trade of 8.3 per cent.
The pubco giant's new wine list, which launched on May 11, includes 24 new wines priced between £3 and £4. Italian range Castelbello, Merlot and Merlot Rosé will be on sale at £3.09 per bottle.
Punch director of sales Tim McCord said: "Wine still represents a great opportunity to drive additional profit and margin. This new list is designed to offer licensees quality wines at affordable prices that appeal to their specific customer base."
Licensee Mike Staniforth, who runs four Punch sites, including the Risley Park in Derby, said: "With the economic downturn, customers are thinking more carefully about how they spend their disposable income. The wine market is changing and we need a list that caters for those changes."
Wine company CWF has produced a 18.7cl single serve wine product designed for licensees to sell at £1.99 per bottle. CWF claims this price point on its Silver Bay Point range, while allowing licensees to maintain a healthy profit margin, is £1.50 cheaper than the average price of other single serve wines in the on-trade.
The range comes in red, white and rosé variants.
