WHAT’S NEW IN WINE AND SPIRITS?

Wine and spirits continues to be a robust category, but what are the key focus areas?

JOANNA TILLEY finds

out

WHAT’S PERFORMING WELL IN WINE?

“WINES and spirits are among the fastest-growing categories within convenience stores, and still wine is currently worth £1.3bn within the traditional convenience channel,” says Tom Smith, marketing director Europe at Accolade Wines.

“The biggest volume of wine sales within convenience stores remains the core price range of £6-£8, and these should be at the heart of any retailer’s wine category.”

Rather than seeing a reduction in premium purchases or an increase in budget buys, both Bev Rodrigo, owner of Premier Woolwell in Plymouth, and Melanie Ferrers, from East Budleigh Community Shop in Devon, say total category sales have remained strong, with mid-range wines performing best.

Ferrers says white wine has been outselling red wine, despite the time of year, while Rodrigo says I Heart Wine is performing well with her customers.

Meanwhile, Vasanti Jesani, of Cellar 57 in Atherton, Greater Manchester, has noted strong sales from the 19 Crimes wine range. Jesani has been boosting sales by encouraging customers to download an app that tells an interactive story about the criminal on each bottle.

“The app is called Living Wine, and people have started to collect the bottles,” says Jesani. “It is important to keep customers informed about any unique selling points a product has.”