Westons is relaunching its low-alcohol Stowford Press variant as part of a raft of measures across its portfolio in time for the summer cider drinking boom.
Stowford Press LA is being rebranded as Stowford Press 0.5% in new-look 500ml bottles, in order to clear up consumer confusion around the low-ABV cider offer and to emphasise that it is part of the Stowford Press family of brands, said marketing communications manager Heather Mead.
"People weren't sure what LA stood for and weren't connecting the lower alcohol offer with the Stowford Press brand," she said. "So we have repositioned it, given it a new look and made it a much clearer proposition." [...more]
A chrome font plus a new style of branded glassware is on its way to the on-trade, courtesy of Aspall.
The latest developments from the cider maker form part of the £1m brand investment announced last month, supporting the brand's continued expansion into the premium on-trade.
The new font, which features the iconic Aspall knight and a redesigned font badge, will be available in top-end outlets and style bars.
"Following on from the redesign of our bottles last month, we are now introducing both the new contemporary font and glassware into the on-trade, as serve is a fundamental part of the Aspall quality experience," said commercial director Geoff Bradman. [...more]
It's a busy month for Thatchers Cider, with the first TV campaign for Thatchers Gold coupled with the launch of Green Goblin on draught.
The TV campaign for the producer's flagship brand begins in May, running on ITV1 West and Central South for five weeks, and again in July, during prime-time programmes such as Coronation Street.
The campaign, built around the theme "People Who Care About Cider", will focus on the heritage and expertise of Thatchers. It will be supported by trade press and outdoor posters. [...more]
A new pear and apple cider under the Bulmers brand marks the start of a "major investment and innovation programme" for the range, the Morning Advertiser can reveal.
Bulmers Summer Blend will launch this month as a limited edition in time for summer, the key sales period for cider, and will initially be available in 568ml bottles to existing stockists of Bulmers Original.
The variant is lighter in flavour and colour than Bulmers Original and Bulmers Pear and is the "perfect summer cider," said brand owner Heineken UK. [...more]
Irish cider Magners has announced it will absorb the 13% hike in cider duty.
Magners launched a press campaign in the Metro this morning announcing its move, following the Chancellor's decision to hike duty on cider 10% above inflation from midnight on Sunday.
The Chancellor said this was to address the "anomaly" in the tax system in regard to cider. Magners is also using social networking site Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter to communicate the message. [...more]
InterContinental Brands has launched several new products as managing director John Mills says the company is to focus on its strongest brands.
Two new flavours have been added to the St Helier pear cider range.
Cherry and Blackcurrant join Original, Raspberry and Lime and Blueberry flavours. However Peach, which was launched last year has been withdrawn.
Mills said: "The cider category is still growing really well and because of its vibrant colour and sweetness St Helier is really targeted at the 18-25 age group. The market has moved and this [flavours] is what consumers want."
Two shandy variants have also been to the St Helier range. [...more]
Gaymer Cider Company has launched a new fruit flavoured varient to tap into what it says is the biggest growth area for the cider in 2010.
Gaymers Fruit comes off the back of the current trend for fruit flavoured ciders. Managing director Peter Spencer said he hopes it will help the company capitalise on a potential £1m of sales.
"We think fruit could be one of the biggest areas for growth in 2010," he said. "We are very excited about Gaymers launch into this market and our research has shown that Gaymers consumers are more likely than most to buy fruit ciders, so we are very confident that this will be a success."
The launch also follows the cider maker's in-depth Cider Nation report into the category, which identified huge growth potential for fruit. [...more]
The press ads build on the theme of men earning their "Bowtime" and carry the strapline "red carpet fitters, you've earned your bowtime".
The ads will run tomorrow in The Sun, Daily Star, Daily Mirror and Metro National.
"The Oscars rightly recognise the excellence of professionals in the film industry including directors, actors and writers but, as the champion of grafters everywhere, Strongbow is acknowledging the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of an iconic event like this — by giving Hollywood's Red Carpet fitters a brief taste of their own Red Carpet treatment," said brand manager Lucy Henderson. [...more]
Gaymer Cider Company will bring Dry Blackthorn cider back to fans in the South West following a Facebook campaign to bring back the original recipe.
Blackthorn was relaunched nationally a year ago with a new look and taste, and, according to the producer, the relaunch has been successful with sales increases of 4%. However, Dry Blackthorn fans across Bristol and the South West have been campaigning passionately for a return to the original recipe.
In response the producer will now make the original draught Dry Blackthorn recipe available again, having first broken the news to the Facebook campaigners in a private meeting in Bristol. [...more]
Glastonbury cider brand Brothers is launching an apple cider to join its pear and flavoured cider ranges.
Brothers Bittersweet Apple Cider is a 5.5% abv medium dry cider which is high in tannins but low in acidity. It will come in 500ml bottles and 250ml stubbies.
It is the first purely apple cider that the company has launched and is a response to the maturation of the apple cider sector where consumers are becoming more educated and are actively seeking out new flavour profiles and propositions, managing director Matthew Showering said.
"Brothers Cider is a natural innovator, being the first to market with both pear and flavoured ciders," he told the Morning Advertiser. "The apple cider category has lacked significant innovation for some time and we felt it was time to take our fast growing brand and inject some excitement into the marketplace." [...more]
St Michael's Hospice has received a cheque from the growers of Bulmers apples, who have raised £25,000 for the charity since the start of the 2009 harvest.
For each tonne of their apples delivered to the new cider mill in Ledbury, the growers have donated 50p to St Michael's Hospice, which has also been matched by Bulmers, the National Association of Cider Makers reports.
Rod Lees, head of orcharding for Bulmers, told the association that it and its growers had exceeded the total it raised for St Michael's Hospice in 2004. [...more]
Many breweries have jumped on the pear cider band wagon, but Thatchers has broken away form the pack and launched Ciderberry - a red, berry-flavoured cider.
Ciderberry fruit cider is infused with natural berry juices form blackcurrants, raspberries and blueberries.
The makers say the 5.4 per cent ABV beverage is designed to be enjoyed chilled and over ice.
"Ciderberry has a slightly drier taste than other fruit ciders currently in the market with a unique blend of berries. We believe it is this blend that will appeal to a more sophisticated palate," said Martin Thatcher, managing director of Thatchers Cider.
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