Paul Hill finds out how BrewDog is working with Bestway to help independent retailers drive sales of core craft beer
Craft beer remains a huge profit opportunity for wholesalers, and as a category leader BrewDog recently paid a visit to Bestway’s Brighton depot to offer its expertise about the importance of getting the right core range in convenience to maximise sales.
“It’s really great to be here at Bestway in Brighton to work with the team,” said Hannah Corker, head of shopper marketing at BrewDog. “We work with most of our wholesale partners and in Bestway particular by offering competitive pricing and a diverse portfolio of products, from Punk IPA, which is the signpost for the category, to innovation such as our session-IPA, Wingman and low-ABV lager, Cold Beer.”
Stuart Shaw, depot manager of Bestway Brighton, added: “It’s fantastic to have BrewDog in Brighton with this promo offer highlighting its core craft beer range. Promotions like this are great for Bestway as we’re able to help our retail customers explore growing categories such as craft beer.”
To highlight these launches in wholesale, BrewDog offers tailored marketing tools such as pallet wraps and bus stops, to catch retailers’ attention and tie into wider consumer activation. The company also works with its wholesale partners to produce bespoke educational material, helping to improve retailers’ understanding of the craft beer opportunity within their business.
Retailer Jignesh Agnihotri, of Shakti Stores, Brighton said BrewDog plays a big part in his store’s range: “The four-pack format works well but we sell everything BrewDog puts in and we get a lot of regular customers buying it. With Punk IPA, you know what you’re going to get, it has a level of consistency, and is a trusted brand.”
Craft beer is already driving significant volume and value growth compared to other beer segments, which continue to experience tricky trading conditions, explained Corker: “We also know that BrewDog shoppers spend 28.8% more on their total basket than the average beer shopper[1], so Craft beer allows wholesalers and retailers to attract a more premium shopper and benefit from enhanced cash margins, giving them an edge on the well-established grocers.”
She stated that it’s vital wholesalers encourage retailers to list top performing craft beer SKUs, such as BrewDog Punk IPA & Hazy Jane New England IPA four packs, as well as the BrewDog mixed pack. “This will help drive impulse sales and upweight total spend in their store. Wholesalers should also advise retailers to use signpost brands to help shoppers easily navigate fixtures.”
She continued: “BrewDog is the signpost brand for craft beer[2] and therefore should be displayed at eye level and brand blocked to signal where craft sits within the fixture. Finally, location is key – many convenience shoppers want chilled beer[3], so if chiller space is available, craft beer should be sited here as 77% of consumers said that it was at least somewhat important that craft beer in a store is cold.”
Shaw echoed these thoughts and was hugely positive about the Brighton promotion, confirming his customers reacted well to the activity after it gave them a great chance to stock up on key summer lines for the busy summer trading period and maximise profit opportunity. “There is a lot of demand for craft beer here in Brighton and BrewDog is the flagship brand, the support they offer around seasonal events such as Brighton Pride is key to helping our retailers.”
“It’s been great having them here in our Brighton branch. We’re excited to promote this craft beer promo to our retailer customers and I’m sure they’ll have great success with it in their stores.”
Supplier viewpoint:
Hannah Corker, Head of Shopper Marketing, BrewDog: “Craft beer is driving significant volume and value growth. While other beer segments continue to experience tricky trading conditions, craft continues to outperform the market.”
Wholesaler viewpoint:
Stuart Shaw, Depot Manager, Bestway Brighton: “Customers have reacted well to our in-depot activity, and it gives them a great chance to stock up on key summer lines for the busy summer trading period and maximise profit opportunity.”
[1] CONVENIENCE RETAILER X SHOPPER LOYALTY DATA 52 W/E 25.03.23
[2] CIRCANA LATEST 52 WKS DATA UP TO 07.07. 24
[3] Vypr Bespoke Shopper Research – August 2024
[4] CONVENIENCE RETAILER X SHOPPER LOYALTY DATA 52 W/E 25.03.23
[5] Bespoke Shopper Research – July 2023
