Asda bws aisle

Asda has taken its booze aisles upmarket with its latest range review.

The retailer has ditched some 60 SKUs across the category, cutting RTDs and cheaper wines in particular. In their place, it has brought in roughly 50 SKUs, with a focus on posher spirits and wines [Brand View 52 w/e 8 May 2018].

The new SKUs were generally pricier than those ditched, research by The Grocer reveals. Across the new additions, the average price was £16.30 - almost double the average price (£8.64) of those slashed.

Among the biggest losers were Accolade Wines’ Banrock Station, which was completely delisted, alongside Chilean brand Anakena. Taittinger, Carling, Pimm’s and Cobra also lost SKUs, as did Manchester Drinks Co’s Cocktail range, which was slashed from 12 to six SKUs.

Winners included Concha y Toro, which gained three listings for its flagship Casillero del Diablo brand, and Heineken, which won space for Heineken lager, Amstel, Desperados and Strongbow.

It marks another step back to prominence in the mults for Heineken, which faced numerous de-listings across the mults last year amid claims it had significantly raised cost prices - its most notable being Tesco’s ditching of some 30 SKUs.

The supplier reclaimed ground in Tesco last month when the retailer added some 20 of its products, including lines that had previously been completely delisted such as Birra Moretti and Amstel.

Asda did respond to requests for comment.