William Grant & Sons UK (formerly First Drinks Brands) has announced the results of its annual spirits and champagne report, revealing current consumer trends and shopper habits.
Re-branding to William Grant & Sons (UK)
The company is a leader in the UK spirits industry with a portfolio of premium and iconic brands, and is now owned by the fifth generation of the family. It retains its passion and commitment to building brands of unrivalled quality for the long-term. Those brands include Glenfiddich malt whisky, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey and Three Barrels brandy.
Chris Mason, MD of the company commented:
“This is an exciting time for our business as we take positive steps in our evolution. Becoming William Grant & Sons will allow us to benefit from the international footprint of our group, with its fine reputation as innovators and builders of premium, international brands.”
Shoppers seeking value
This year’s report suggests that the perception of value is evolving, with Gary Keogh, Marketing Director observing:
“Value can mean many things from functional benefits to packaging and personality, with brands such as Sailor Jerry and Hendrick’s really embracing and benefitting from the latter.”
The growth of scarce and desirable products is growing in popularity as consumers are exposed to increasing choice – and other forms of scarcity are emerging, such as access to unusual experiences and knowledge. Consumers seek out products that are limited, unique or crafted in some way – such as limited edition whiskies.
Immersive experiences
These also remain a key brand engagement tool: high end brands excel at offering drinkers interesting serves, personal touches, quality experiences. The result: premium spirits drive market growth, with value in the on-trade up 13.7%. In the off-trade, value is up 6.4%, outperforming non-premium spirits which are up 4.5%.
Value growth in malt whisky and spiced/flavoured rum
Shoppers are being encouraged to explore whisky flavours, whilst rum’s versatility and use in cocktails is also contributing to growth. The explosion of new brands of gin has fuelled consumer interest and growth – premium gin has grown at six and a half times the rate of mainstream gin.
Premium brands well-placed
Chris Mason concludes:
“As this report concludes, premium brands are extremely well placed to benefit from the trends the market is experiencing. This is why building premium brands that consumers desire is core to our business. It is these higher-end spirits which can offer more in terms of value, to appeal to the consumer. In the year ahead we aim to work even more closely with our customers to deliver premium experiences – be they online, on-store or in outlet.”
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