Focus On Beer and Cider: 9 April

Publishing: 9 April 2022
Advertising deadline: 27 March 2022
Submissions deadline: 18 March 2022

Feature One: Beer
By Daniel Woolfson Daniel.Woolfson@thegrocer.co.uk 

Craft beer is looking like a mixed case of late. Market leader BrewDog has suffered some reputational difficulties in the past year, although founder James Watt has disputed the claims. Other companies are retreating, with Carlsberg Marston’s looking to sell craft brand London Fields only four years after buying it, while Lion is selling Fourpure and Magic Rock. Even so, new lines of IPAs increasingly fill supermarket shelves, some flavoured with the likes of pancakes and raspberries. So is craft beer stalling? Is this just the growing pains of going mainstream? And how can such brands compete against returning pubs and bars?

Ranges: During the pandemic many retailers rationalised their ranges, while brands focused on multipacks for home drinking. Is this continuing, or are we seeing retailers experiment with weirder and more wonderful styles in-store?

Mainstream: Most of the leading beers in grocery have seen declines in the past year. What can mainstream beers do to maintain competitiveness in grocery stores?

Hospitality: Pubs and bars have long been an opportunity for consumers to try new beers, but these occasions have been stifled over the past two years. At the same time, reopened hospitality will challenge grocers on sales. What will the result be?

Innovations: Profile of four new products or ranges that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.

Feature Two: Cider
By Jimmy Nicholls Jimmy.Nicholls@thegrocer.co.uk 

Until recently, cider seemed to be lacking in innovation. Now Strongbow Ultra Dark Fruit promises to inject more than just creative juices into the category at a time where the drink is facing pressure from seltzers and RTD cans. So can cider entice in new shoppers with such products? Will it tap into a desire for less boozy lifestyles, especially among younger shoppers? And what might the impact be for other alcoholic drinks?

Innovation: After a dry spell in innovation, will Strongbow’s new Ultra Dark Fruit prompt more new releases in cider? And what flavours and occasions will be catered to?

Traditional: Many of the big ranges in cider suffered declines this year, the category having struggled to prosper even during lockdown periods. Can suppliers turn it around?

Hospitality: Cider faces additional pressure from the return of pubs and bars. Can it use the return to encourage more cider shoppers in supermarkets?

Innovations: Profile of four new products or ranges that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.