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Football fans at Ashton Gate
Sport is a huge driver of footfall to venues, with fans dwelling up to 26 mins longer when a match is being shown.
With cider outperforming beer and lager at the bar – and Gen Z drinking more cider than lager – it is essential that venues stock the right range, at the right price, to maximise sales this sporting season.
Have you got the perfect lineup?
Switching to a trusted brand that customers love can sell an additional 54 pints a week, delivering additional cash in the till.
Getting it wrong can mean losing a group and watching your revenue walk out the door.
Apple cider makes up about 70% of all cider sales, and the trend is leaning towards premium mainstream ciders like Gold. As a firm fan favourite and a key part of the match day experience for many fans, quality, trusted, apple ciders can help drive rate of sale.
Customers want a brand they can trust, and they are willing to pay for it. The latest data shows that while people are impacted by the cost of living, when they do go out, they want a quality experience and aren’t willing to compromise.
Top tips to get your cider range in shape
Know when to tap in
Having more than one draught cider on the bar can drive more volume as you attract a different drinker, however before installing an additional line, we recommend two things:
- 1
Make sure they both bring something different to the bar. i.e., if you have Thatchers Gold, a medium dry cider with broad appeal, you may want to complement it with something like Thatchers Haze, a crisp, sweet cider that appeals to a sweeter taste profile.
- 2
You should be selling a minimum of two kegs per week on your original cider. That will mean you still have enough throughput on both lines to ensure quality of pint for each.
Team player
If you only have space for one apple cider on tap, we recommend supporting that with an alternative in the fridge. If you have a medium or dry cider on tap, support with a sweeter apple cider in the fridge, cater for a broader range of customers.
Building a fruitful range
Fruit cider is the biggest seller in the fridge, beating world lager, however when the right product is available on tap, sales shift to draught, freeing up premium fridge space.
You can add theatre, range and improved visibility by bringing fruit on tap. Thatchers’ revolutionary Fusion Font offers three flavours from one tap, supporting the consumer need for experience and theatre that they can’t replicate at home, while saving space and reducing glass waste.
If you’re not quite ready for a draught fruit line, we recommend offering a range of two to three packaged fruit ciders. The fruit cider drinker likes to try new things and explore flavours so look for the biggest new products and ensure you stock those to help boost rate of sale.
Looking after the whole group
When we look at what’s happening in the on– and off–trades, a core theme is that more people are moderating, and they are doing it year-round.
In order for pubs to remain at the heart of socialising, you must cater for this growing audience.
Three in four people (74%) say they are moderating their alcohol consumption, and 44% say they would be more likely to stay for another if they could have the alcohol free version of their favourite drink.
It’s no longer okay to have a token low/no lager available, you need to demonstrate a considered and curated range. With apple cider accounting for around 70% of cider sales, it’s important you have a low/no apple option available, not just fruit ciders in the fridge. Thatchers Zero, for example, has all of the flavour of a cider, but with none of the alcohol. That’s why it is the number one low and no apple cider in pubs and supermarkets and the perfect option for those looking to moderate who don’t want to compromise on taste.
