PREMIUM FLAVOURED CIDER FOR SUMMER
The Premium Flavoured Cider category owes its continued success to a few different factors, such as ongoing consumer trends like premiumisation, where customers are willing to spend more for a higher-quality product. We have also seen a rise in interest in flavour innovations, more choice and an overall shift to evolving tastes, where we see consumers prioritising authenticity and a desire to try something new. We can see this reflected in the figures - in 2024 alone, an impressive 341 million pints and around 114 million bottles of cider¹ were sold and enjoyed, making cider the second most popular alcoholic drink by volume in the sector². Old Mout Cider, the UK’s leading flavoured cider brand³, is well-placed to tap into the opportunity that this presents and is perfectly placed to help operators drive revenue this summer.
WHAT FORMAT SHOULD YOU BE STOCKING?
Premium Flavoured Ciders continue to dominate the fridge, now accounting for 72% of packaged cider sales⁴, underscoring the importance of allocating dedicated space for this growing category. In the fridge, Old Mout Cider is currently seeing strong growth – with a 53% increase in Value Sales in the latest quarter versus last year⁵, making it a must-stock option for any venue aiming to meet demand and drive sales. The launch of Old Mout Cider Mango & Passionfruit, in 500ml bottles, aims to help operators tap into this opportunity, providing cider fans with a new tropical flavour to discover and attracting new drinkers to the category.
However, draught continues to be the biggest driver of Cider sales for publicans. Overall, draught makes up 77% of cider volume sales⁶, which equates to £1.5bn to the On-trade as a whole⁷, making it, on average, worth £22,200 a year to an operator⁸. Furthermore, over the last two years, we have seen draught cider grow 14% in value, in stark comparison to total on-trade drinks sales, which were flat over the same time period⁹. This is generally being driven by premiumisation in the category for both Apple and Flavoured variants, which has tapped into the consumer’s desire to trade up, as part of the shift to ‘drinking less but better’ that is affecting all categories. Old Mout Cider has become the largest cider brand in the On-Trade¹⁰, which has been driven by the continued popularity of Old Mout Cider Berries & Cherries on draught. This variation has grown to become the number one Premium Flavoured draught Cider in the On-Trade¹¹.
PREMIUM FLAVOURED CIDER ON TAP
Premiumisation continues to be a growing trend, with consumers willing to pay more for a more premium product, and operators should take advantage of this trend when making ranging decisions on the bar. Eye-tracking research from HEINEKEN UK shows that standalone founts can catch the eye, but they don’t tend to do so before the customer has scanned the T-bar, so we advise that standalones are placed near to T-bars for the biggest impact.
Variety is important to customers when visiting pubs and bars, with two thirds saying that having more flavour options makes them more likely to choose cider¹² and half of cider drinkers who opt for flavoured cider, say they like having a variety of flavours from which to choose.
To help operators offer a wider variety of premium flavoured cider on tap, Old Mout Cider has launched a revolutionary multi-fount draught technology, Flavourwave. Delivering three Old Mout Cider flavours from a single tap, this technology requires only one keg in the cellar – offering consumers more variety, and saving valuable space on the bar. Flavourwave offers operators an opportunity to tap into the growing opportunity poised by Premium Flavoured Cider on draught and maximise returns. With Old Mout Cider flavours favourites Berries & Cherries, Pineapple & Raspberry, and Kiwi & Lime now on tap, Flavourwave is set to expand your cider variety on tap and help venues stand out from the competition. Old Mout Cider is on track to have an excellent year, with sales from the start of this year already being up an impressive 58%over the last quarter for Old Mout Cider operators¹³, compared to 2024, and the new Flavourwave fount is perfectly positioned to help operators unlock this growth potential.
THE ALCOHOL-FREE OPPORTUNITY
Moderation continues to be a significant opportunity for On-trade operators with insight showing that the majority of UK adults (77%) now moderate how much they drink. One in three pub visits now do not include alcohol¹⁴ and, while this may drop slightly during the party season, we can expect consumers maintain their shift to a more mindful way of drinking.
The trade, however, continues to miss out on No and Low alcohol sales. Some estimates suggest a quarter of consumers turn to tap water when abstaining from alcohol in the on-trade, due to a perceived lack of alcohol-free options – representing a whopping £800m in missed sales for the sector¹⁵.
Ensuring that popular No and Low alcohol brands such as Old Mout Cider Berries & Cherries Alcohol Free are available is therefore very important. However, in order to really make the most of the trade-up opportunity, ensuring visibility of the available alcohol-free options is key.
Old Mout Cider Berries & Cherries Alcohol Free is the number one alcohol-free cider in the UK, more than three times as big as its nearest competitor and comprising two-thirds of the category by value¹⁶. Old Mout Alcohol Free Cider should therefore be given prime position at the top of fridges. Promoting premium Low and No Alcohol Cider options such as these on PoS and other marketing materials will also boost sales by encouraging trade-up, while training bar staff to make recommendations of No and Low Alcohol ciders will help drive extra spend as well.
EXTENDING CIDER SEASON
Cider’s popularity offers venues a year-round revenue opportunity that extends well beyond the summer months. While 64%¹⁷ of consumers say warm weather draws them to order cider at the pub, operators can still leverage the drink’s appeal across all seasons - through established brands. Research reveals that 83%¹⁸ of pub-goers are open to enjoying cider during colder months when properly engaged. The key drivers are price promotions (34%), seasonal winter flavours (31%), and dark fruit varieties (26%)¹⁹. Promoting tempting No and Low Alcohol options in this way throughout the autumn and winter, will continue to reap rewards post-Christmas as people look to moderate their drinking in January.
Promoting popular No and Low Alcohol drinks such as Old Mout Cider Berries & Cherries Alcohol Free through the typically quieter January-February period, will help to re-engage consumers. Highlighting the quality alcohol-free ciders and other options on offer on social media and outdoor signage will encourage people to get off the sofa and into their local pubs, bars and restaurants.
For more information on stocking Old Mout and other brands from HEINEKEN UK visit https://www.eazle.co.uk/huk/en/OldMout
