Bird also told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) what tips he would give pubs and bars if they were to start a low & no offer and that category is ahead of gin and cider sales across his north-west-based sites.
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He explained: “The category will continue to grow exponentially for years to come but will remain a category that will probably settle at 20% of pub drinks sales, mainly because wine is a product that currently is nigh on impossible to replicate in terms of body and taste profiles.
“Sparkling wine is different because of sugars and fizz. Plus, people want to come to the pub to have a drink… it is their ‘reward’ for a hard day or week at work.”
Tim’s top 5 tips on starting a low & no range
1. Create a list of low & no drinks.
2. Make the list good value. Low & no drinks are, in some cases expensive, so don’t try to chase the percentage margin… chase the cash and customer satisfaction.
3. Cover the bases on the drinks you are going to offer: these being beer, IPA, stout, wine, fizz, spirits, cider, cocktails and drinks that match food with some differentiated drinks.
4. Train your team with everyone tasting the list before you launch.
5. Measure sales constantly so you can see trends and understand what may need a little help to promote and listen to your customers they may have some favourite drinks you have missed.
Waiting on Guinness 0.0
He added beer brands are the biggest sellers in the low & no range at his seven-strong pubco, including vegan and gluten-free beers like Corona and Peroni. Lucky Saint – which is available on draught – and Guinness 0.0 are the leaders with Erdinger Alkoholfrei 0% doing very well too.
“We offer draught Lucky Saint in five of our seven pubs and the bottled version in the other two,” Bird continued. “We are waiting for Guinness 0.0 on draught because there is demand once they have perfected it.
“We are guesting certain radlers by Steigl. Their Grapefruit Radler is a winner and has been on draught at two pubs this summer as well as in cans at the other five sites, and at 2% ABV, it’s a great ‘low’ alternative.
400% sales boost
Sales for Cheshire Cat in the low & no category has risen £40,000 per annum to £200,000 within four years and will be circa 4.5% of its total wet sales with the category beating gin and cider sales.
Bird’s advice on curating a great low & no range is: “Have a list that covers all the bases and is competitively priced… beers, ciders, stouts, IPAs, fruit beers, radlers, spirits, wines, but also differentiate drink alternatives that can match with food like the Jorg Geiger Cuvees and wines, Zonin, Wild Idol and Sparkling Tea. Then add a few functional drink alternatives.”
He added staff training and engagement is essential because “we offer drinks the guest has never heard of and never tried. So, the team has to taste the products, know the story and then persuade the guest into an alternative drink that they will enjoy.”
