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You're twisting my watermelons, man

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER QUITE LIKE MALIBU - EXCEPT PERHAPS TWO NEW WATERMELON VARIANTS OF THE POPULAR BRAND

Malibu is launching two new products offering a slice of summer to the brand’s 18-24 year-old target consumers. Malibu Watermelon and a new Malibu Watermelon Lemonade RTD tap into the increased demand for watermelon flavour alcoholic drinks, which has grown by 63% YoY [Mintel].

Malibu Watermelon

Malibu’s latest tropical thirst quencher brings together Caribbean rum blended with the ripe, juicy and refreshing taste of Watermelon and a smooth and fruity finish.

Simply add lemonade for chilled moments with friends or stir things up with a Malibu Watermelon Mojito. Available in a 70cl bottle with a 21% ABV, Malibu Watermelon has an RSP of £15.

Malibu Watermelon Lemonade

Refreshing taste is easier to access than ever thanks to the launch of Malibu Watermelon’s hero serve in a ready-to-drink format. Malibu Watermelon Lemonade is a sparkling blend of Caribbean rum and watermelon, with lemon and lime flavours for a burst of citrus sweetness.

The pre-mixed drinks category is growing +26.8% YOY and the Malibu can range is growing +50.2%, over double the rate of the pre-mixed drinks can category (19.2%)[Nielsen, Mar 2021]. Malibu Watermelon Lemonade 250ml cans have an ABV of 5% and an RSP of £1.80.

Chris Shead, Channel Director at Pernod Ricard UK, said: “Malibu is a true icon of summer and with flavoured spirits on the rise, the brand’s latest innovations are sure to be a sizzling hit. We’re delighted to be extending our current can offering at a time when the RTD market is booming, and Malibu’s RTD range has gone from strength to strength over the last three years, helping to recruit younger shoppers into the brand. These two new additions to the Malibu family are primed to take this summer over by clearly answering consumer needs for great tasting drinks, suitable for all daytime occasions.”

Malibu Watermelon Lemonade 250ml can is available now in Tesco and Morrison’s, and Malibu Watermelon 70cl is available in Tesco and Asda. Both SKUs are also available from wholesalers including Bestway, Booker and United.

Time to get up and Alpen!

ALPEN IS CELEBRATING ITS 50TH BIRTHDAY WITH A FULL BRAND RELAUNCH AND A NEW TV AD

Alpen, the UK’s number one muesli [Nielsen, Mar 2021], is celebrating its 50th birthday this month with a full brand relaunch. The £2m investment includes a new TV ad, a new pack design and a refreshed website as part of its biggest campaign in recent years: ‘Up & Alpen’.

Marking the brand’s return to TV for the first time in over four years, the new ad showcases the ‘Up & Alpen’ proposition thanks to the help of an energetic alpine ram, outlining how Alpen can give everyone the endurance to climb their own personal mountains.

The £50m brand, which can already be found in a fifth of UK households [Kantar, Jan 2021], also unveiled refreshed packaging last month celebrating its rich heritage. The pack features an eye-catching design, product shots and calls out its natural health credentials. A social media campaign will run across the brand’s Instagram and Facebook pages, encouraging the UK public to ‘get up, get out there and get to it’ with Alpen. In addition, a refreshed consumer-facing website showcases Alpen’s Swiss roots and contains inspirational recipe ideas.

Helena Blincow, Head of Brand, Alpen says: “Here at Alpen, we’ve brought uplifting mornings to adventurous break- The Alpen Rangefast-loving Brits for 50 years with our delicious portfolio. We have a 31% 550g box and 1.1kg bags share of the muesli category and Variants Original, No Added Sugar, have grown by +4% year on year Simply Berries and Chocolate – that’s why we’re the UK’s original RSPs: £2.49 box; £3.99 bags. and number one branded muesli!”

The Alpen Range

550g box and 1.1kg bags

Variants Original, No Added Sugar, Simply Berries and Chocolate

RSPs: £2.49 box; £3.99 bags.

Giant, crazy and sour

NEXT MONTH WILL SEE MARS WRIGLEY LAUNCH SKITTLES GIANTS CRAZY SOURS, THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF STANDARD SKITTLES

Following the successful launch of Skittles Giants, Mars Wrigley is adding a sour variant next month with the launch of Skittles Giants Crazy Sours. Bigger on the outside and softer on the inside, the new products are available in wholesale in a variety of format packs catering for every consumption occasion.

Like their counterpart, Skittles Giants Crazy Sours are three times the size of standard Skittles and have a soft chewy centre designed to strike the taste buds with sourness, delivering an “intense, fruity, mouth-watering flavour” and are suitable for a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Available in a £1 PMP treat bag (125g), a 141g value pouch and 170g grocery pouch, Skittles Giants Crazy Sours will help consumers maximise those all-important together moments that have been missed out on in the past year. Skittles Giants Crazy Sours fit perfectly with the outdoor summer sharing occasion that shoppers are looking for, says the company.

Victoria Gell, Fruity Confections Brand Director, says: “Our consumers have spoken and we listened. The creation of Skittles Giants Crazy Sours is a direct result of what our consumers have been communicating to us following the launch of Skittles Giants last year. We feel the Sours range satisfies shoppers’ desire for variety, whilst delivering true innovation. With shoppers now being able to get together in social environments, we wanted to offer a product that people could share and enjoy during those all-important moments together.”

The roll-out will be supported in-store with digital and traditional POS to maximise the impact and excitement around the launch, as well as a digital media campaign.

Molson bets big on Three-Fold hard seltzers

MOLSON COORS IS PLOUGHING £5M INTO LAUNCHING ITS NEW THREE FOLD HARD SELTZER BRAND IN THE UK

Molson Coors Beverage Company is investing around £5m in its new hard seltzer brand Three Fold – the biggest brand investment the company has ever made into a new category in the UK.

Molson Coors was an early mover in the category last year with an exclusive distribution agreement with Bodega Bay, the first premium seltzer in the UK market.

Three Fold, which launched at the end of last year through the brand’s own e-commerce site, is now available in Morrisons, Bargain Booze and Bestway, having secured new permanent listings in May. It is also now available through Molson Coors’ direct-to-consumer website Revl and the brewer anticipates adding more listings through the course of this year.

Three Fold comes in three fruity varieties – Red Berries, Tropical and Citrus – is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and each 330ml can contains 4% alcohol by volume and 93 calories. It is sold as single cans and a variety six-pack.

The latest move follows the rapid growth of the hard seltzer category in the US, where retail sales reached $2.7bn in the 12 months to June last year [Nielsen]. The company has already seen strong success in the US market with hard seltzer brands Coors Seltzer, Vizzy Hard Seltzer and Proof Point Spirited Seltzer.

Charlotte Revill, Brand Manager at Molson Coors, says: “All the signs point to hard seltzers being the next drinks category to firmly establish itself in the UK. We expect its rapid growth in the US to be mirrored here and a major investment in our own product is to ensure that we, and our customers, are at the forefront of this quickly emerging category.

“Three Fold was conceived with mainstream adult appeal in mind, taking recognisable flavour combinations, evolved with the lighter, fresher profile that hard seltzers offer. Consumer taste tests have been resoundingly positive, with our range preferred to an extensive competitor set, and it’s incredibly exciting to see it on shelves at some of the UK’s best-known retailers.”

The investment in the brand includes a comprehensive digital, social and out-of-home media campaign.

Burt backs RNLI

A two year deal will see Royal National Lifeboat Institution branding on Burts’ Sea Salt and Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar 150g and 40g crisp packs. These will also feature ‘Float To Live’ messaging and a QR code which directs shoppers to a new RNLI section of the Burts website.

Bring it on

South African wine brand Kumala has launched a new ‘Bring on the Braai’ competition with barbecue manufacturer Napoleon Grills, offering shoppers the chance to win a BBQ worth over £1,300. Five runners-up prizes are also available. The competition will feature on multiple 75cl SKUs.

Clear progress

7UP Regular, 7UP Free and 7UP Free Cherry 375ml, 500ml & 600ml bottles are transitioning from their existing green colour to clear PET for the first time. The move is part of a drive to ensure all PET bottles can be recycled into rPET material before becoming new bottles.

New look Hoek

Accolade Wines is rebranding its emerging wine brand Fish Hoek with redesigned bottles due to hit shelves in time for summer. The redesign will be rolled out across the range’s six SKUs, including the smooth, juicy, medium bodied Fish Hoek Shiraz. RSP: £7.99

Nice try

Britvic has signed a sponsorship deal with the Rugby League World Cup 2021 that will see Pepsi MAX and Gatorade positioned respectively as the Official Soft Drink and Official Sports Drink of the tournament. The 61-match tournament kicks-off on 23 October.

Foodie focus

Lactalis UK & Ireland’s cheese brand Président’s latest campaign runs until October 2021 and targets ABC1 foodies aged 40 – 65. The campaign is designed to encourage consumers “to take things at a slower pace and make time to enjoy the ‘Good Life’ with Président”.