Craft for CSG

Costcutter Supermarkets Group is bringing 80 craft breweries to stores

COSTCUTTER retailers looking to take a crafty approach to Christmas beer sales are in luck, as the symbol has reached a deal that will give access to over 80 breweries.

The new agreement between Costcutter Supermarkets Group and online beer distributor EeBria Trade gives access to hundreds of products online to be delivered direct from brewery to store.

In support of the new agreement, Costcutter has also produced a comprehensive craft beer guide. The Craft Beer & Real Ale Guide offers store-specific data on the best products to drive footfall and sales, as well as category advice ranging from market trends to merchandising and store planning.

Rachael Grist, category manager at Costcutter Supermarkets Group said: “Our new guide is tailored to each of our individual store owner locations, showing which brands will attract the most shopper interest and basket spend.

“Support for local  breweries is a major and still growing trend, so along with the new partnership with EeBria Trade to give easy access to local craft breweries, our guide lists the must-stock brands from local suppliers.

“It also highlights the most popular national beer and cider brands which continue to drive sales, again tailored to each region.”

Grist added that craft beer presents a major opportunity to drive premium sales, claiming the category is now worth over £150m in the UK with Nielsen predicting this figure could rise to £255 in the next two years. Costcutter places the average price per litre of craft beer at £4.46, almost double that of the beer market as a whole.