CIDER manufacturers have worked hard to sell cider throughout the year but it remains true that good summer weather helps cider sales considerably, one reason why last year the category struggled.
But the team at Stella Artois Cidre stresses that fruit ciders sell well especially during the summer and are among the fastest growing categories in the drinks industry.
Quoting IRI research Stella brand owner AB Inbev said flavoured cider sales grew by 21.2% in convenience stores in the 52 weeks to the end of February this year. The firm expects a trend towards flavoured lines to continue, not least because it has found that in the on-trade flavoured ciders now account for more than half of volume sales.
That being said apple cider flavours still perform best in Scotland and Stella Artois Apple Cidre accounted for 69% of the brand’s overall off-trade sales north of the border in 2015. The firm recommends that retailers offer Stella Artois Cidre and other apple varieties as well as three or four different flavoured ciders.
