Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Cider sales dive after the hot summer of 2018
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- Figure 1: Total value sales of cider, 2014-24
- Duties remain frozen but the government introduces new tax band
- Hot summer of 2018 boosts cider sales
- Health considerations encouraging people to cut back
- Ageing UK population offers little support to cider
- Companies and brands
- Thatchers and Westons perform well in a struggling retail market
- Heineken retains a third of the retail market
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- Figure 2: Leading brands’ shares in the UK retail cider market, 2018/19*
- Further activity in flavoured ciders
- Thatchers leads on advertising spend in 2019
- 2019 sees experiential and experimental campaigns
- The consumer
- Almost half of adults drink cider
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- Figure 3: Usage of cider, by flavour, October 2018 and October 2019
- Cider is perceived as refreshing but not particularly a treat
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- Figure 4: Perceptions of different types of alcoholic drinks, October 2019
- Taste and price dominate considerations
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- Figure 5: Factors which people prioritise when choosing between different ciders, October 2019
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- Figure 6: Factors which would encourage people to pay more for cider, October 2019
- ‘Better for you’ ciders have scope for growth
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- Figure 7: Behaviours relating to cider, October 2019
- Clear interest in low/non-alcoholic ciders but barriers remain
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards cider, October 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Could hard seltzers steal share from flavoured cider?
- The facts
- The implications
- Thatchers Zero should build further momentum for low/no-alcohol cider
- The facts
- The implications
- Premium ciders continue to offer opportunities
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Cider sales drop after the hot summer of 2018
- On-trade leads for value sales, but off-trade dominates volumes
- Duties remain frozen but the government introduces new tax band
- Hot summer of 2018 boosts cider sales
- Health considerations encouraging people to cut back
- Ageing UK population offers little support to cider
Market Size and Forecast
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- Cider sales fall after the hot summer of 2018
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- Figure 9: Total value and volume sales of cider, 2014-24
- Cider’s average price is on the rise
- An ageing population and alcohol moderation are problematic for cider
- Limited growth forecast for cider
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- Figure 10: Total value sales of cider, 2014-24
- Figure 11: Total volume sales of cider, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
- Cider’s 2019 slump halts growth
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- Figure 12: Five-year trend of value sales for the main alcoholic drink categories, 2015-19
Channels to Market
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- Off-trade sales drag down the market
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- Figure 13: Value and volume sales of cider in the off and on-trade, 2014-19
Market Drivers
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- Multiple factors affect cider prices
- Duty freeze provides some relief for cider producers
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- Figure 14: Alcohol duties on different types of alcoholic drinks, 2010-19
- Change to duty dilution laws set to raise costs for flavoured cider producers
- Brexit continues to create uncertainty
- Weekly earnings continue to grow
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- Figure 15: CPI vs average weekly earnings, Jan 2012-Dec 2019
- Hot summer of 2018 boosts cider sales
- Health considerations are encouraging people to cut back
- Ageing UK population offers little support to cider
- Cider’s unisex appeal should help the category
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Thatchers and Westons perform well in a struggling retail market
- Heineken retains a third of the retail market
- Further activity in flavoured ciders
- Thatchers leads on advertising spend in 2019
- 2019 sees experiential and experimental campaigns
Market Share
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- Dark Fruit helps to prop up Strongbow sales
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- Figure 16: Leading brands’ sales and share in the UK retail cider and perry market, 2016/17-2018/19
- Cause for concern for flavoured ciders?
- Traditional, heritage brands enjoy strong growth
- Heineken retains a third of the market
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- Figure 17: Leading brand owners’ sales and share in the UK retail cider and perry market, 2016/17-2018/19
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Can rosé ciders rise to the heights of dark fruits?
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- Figure 18: Examples of rosé-flavoured/pink ciders, 2019
- More fruit-flavoured ciders hit the market
- Healthier ciders become more commonplace
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- Figure 19: Kopparberg Balans hard seltzer, 2019
- Aspall and Westons rebrand and diversify
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- Figure 20: Aspall’s cider innovation, 2019
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Advertising spend falls again in 2019
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- Figure 21: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cider and perry, by media type, 2016-19
- Thatchers is the leading category advertiser
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- Figure 22: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cider and perry, by leading advertisers, 2019
- Heineken continues to concentrate on Strongbow
- Strongbow tweaks its advertising strategy
- Old Mout continues with its campaign to save the kiwi bird
- Experiential and experimental campaigns become more popular
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Almost half of adults drink cider
- Cider is perceived as refreshing but not particularly a treat
- Taste and price dominate considerations
- Unique flavours and all-natural ingredients lead the way for trading up
- ‘Better for you’ ciders have scope for growth
- Clear interest in low/no-alcohol ciders but barriers remain
Usage of Cider
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- Almost half of adults drink cider
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- Figure 23: Usage of cider, by flavour, October 2018 and October 2019
- Four in 10 users drink only one or two types of cider
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- Figure 24: Number of different types of cider drunk in the last three months, October 2019
- Apple remains the core of the cider market
- A fifth drink cider made by beer brewers
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- Figure 25: Usage of different types of cider, October 2018 and October 2019
- Usage of low/non-alcoholic cider showing promising signs
Perceptions of Different Types of Cider
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- Cider is perceived as refreshing but not particularly a treat
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- Figure 26: Perceptions of different types of alcoholic drinks, October 2019
- Standard and flavoured ciders are viewed differently
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- Figure 27: Perceptions of standard and flavoured cider, October 2019
Purchasing Cider: Priorities and Trading Up
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- Taste and price dominate considerations
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- Figure 28: Factors which people prioritise when choosing between different ciders, October 2019
- Unique flavours and all-natural ingredients lead the way for trading up
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- Figure 29: Factors which would encourage people to pay more for cider, October 2019
Behaviours Relating to Cider
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- ‘Better for you’ ciders have scope for growth
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- Figure 30: Health-related behaviours relating to cider, October 2019
- Potential for growing cider out of home
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- Figure 31: Out-of-home-related behaviours relating to cider, October 2019
- Experimentation remains key to the cider market
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- Figure 32: Taste-related behaviours relating to cider, October 2019
Attitudes towards Cider
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- Clear interest in low/no-alcohol ciders but barriers remain
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- Figure 33: Attitudes towards cider, October 2019
- Sugar is an important consideration for many drinkers
- Communicating quality and treat cues key for reduced sugar ciders
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- Figure 34: Examples of newly launched no-lo ciders in Australia, 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 35: Forecast of UK sales of cider, by value, best- and worst-case, 2019-24
- Figure 36: Forecast of UK sales of cider, by volume, best- and worst-case, 2019-24
Appendix – Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Figure 37: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cider and perry, by leading advertisers, by brand, 2019
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