British Gin and English Sparkling set to sparkle for the Platinum Jubilee 16 million consumers (30%) intend to drink a British-distilled gin and the classic gin & tonic is predicted to be the most popular cocktail serve of the Jubilee weekend. With brands launching limited-edition flavours or bottle designs, and marketing their gin around classic British serves, British gins have a fighting chance of emerging as a Jubilee weekend winner, a category that has been losing out to Vodka and Rum in recent months. The patriotism of the Platinum Jubilee weekend extends to English wine with 10 million (19%) consumers planning to drink it. As plantings of UK vineyards have doubled in the past eight years, listings on drinks menus have grown too. English sparkling makes up 70% of the category and this is where the opportunity lies; 17% plan to consume a sparkling wine over 7% wanting to drink champagne. English sparkling is well placed to capitalise on the 1 in 4 consumers who plan to consume British products this weekend as well as those looking to elevate their celebratory moment. With 6 in 10 consumers agreeing that the Platinum weekend is a good excuse to spend time with friends and family, both the on- and off-trade are set for a boost in sales. 44% of consumers are planning to catch up with friends and/or family and many (41%) will be in groups of more than 6 people. All indicators point to a bumper weekend for big get-togethers, but it is up to the drinks industry to make sure they get the most out of this opportunity. Source: PROOF Insight POURTRAITS research May 2022 |
International travel chaos could encourage more Brits to opt for staycations. Recent market research has shown almost 1 in 10 (9%) consumers are planning to head abroad for the Jubilee weekend; compared to 14% who plan to go for a UK day trip and 11% planning a weekend getaway in the UK. Yet travellers are being warned of long delays on the road and further disrupted flights during the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period as some 20 million journeys coincide with the end of the half term holidays. This news comes as hundreds of flights have already been cancelled as airlines struggled to cope with the soaring demand. The airport chaos could prove beneficial to the UK travel and hospitality sector, if more consumers choose to hold off booking travel abroad and opt for a hassle-free staycation. Concerns over the rising cost of living may also hinder consumers from booking international travel. As of April 2022, 1 in 5 Brits are planning to holiday domestically, with Cornwall remaining the most sought-after destination. Meanwhile, overseas tourists to the UK are expected to triple this year. This all points to a positive outlook for the travel and hospitality sector this summer. Source: PROOF Insight POURTRAITS research April & May 2022, Yahoo, YouGov Profiles. |
Greene King IPA jubilee promotion prohibited. Greene King dispensed free beer on Monday 30th May in over 400 managed sites after licensing laws restricted a planned promotion. The brewer and national pub chain advertised that a pint of their Greene King IPA could be purchased that day for 6p, the average price of a pint in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth took the throne. However, the group were prohibited from doing so as the discount was deemed in contravention of licensing laws.
After an enthusiastic response to the announcement last week, Greene King decided not to spoil the party for their customers and instead gave away the pint for free when they were prohibited to charge the nominal fee. The promotion coincided with the brewer announcing their intention to increase wholesale draught beer and cider prices for its tenants from June 12th by an average of 4.7%, alongside increases for wine, spirits and minerals. It’s reported that packaged beer and cider will remain unaffected by Greene King’s first price increase since 2019, which the group cited as a result of ‘significant inflation’ across the drinks industry and rising energy costs. Source: Propel, The Morning Advertiser, The Drinks Business |
Investments, Mergers & Acquisitions
Sources: Big Hospitality, Propel |
New Product Launches & Campaigns
Sources: The Spirits Business, Drinks Business, Campaign Live, Beverage Daily, The Morning Advertiser |