If you want to make the most of the summer months you need to make sure that you have a good range of ciders, otherwise you could lose customers to your biggest rivals.
Who drinks cider?
Drinkers in their twenties and thirties are particularly fond of cider and are looking for premium products. This age group mightn’t drink as much as older age groups but they can still keep your tills ringing if you stock what they want to drink and have plenty of things to entertain them (such as pool tables, juke boxes and quiz machines).
Why not organise a cider and craft beer weekend? This will draw people to your establishment who mightn’t have ever stepped foot over the threshold before. Steve Ricketts, head of sales at Brewdog told betterRetailing.com: “Craft beer is bringing in people that have never bought beer before and they’re spending more. You can sell four cans of standard lager and make a small margin, or one or two craft beer bottles and make the same amount. Invest in the future.”
Alternatively, you could organise a special summer BBQ, have a party for a sporting event or a pools competition to find the best pool player in your town. If you have your cider prominently displayed, you’ll find that more and more of your customers request it. It’ll be most popular when the sun is shining.
When it comes to choosing which cider to stock, opt for big names and local suppliers too. As well as individual bottles and cans, consider later bottles that are the same size as wine bottles. These are perfect for friends to share.
Emma Sherwood-Smith, cider director at Heineken, says: “Shoppers know that apples only come from certain regions, so cider is similar to wine in the way shoppers think about it.”
Daf Pugh Williams, the senior innovation commercialisation manager at Diageo, added: “Spirit ciders are the next stage of premium ciders’ evolution. The first was a glass bottle served over ice, the second was flavour such as pear.”
Need to hire some entertainment equipment?
Whether you’re looking for one pool table or two, a juke box or something else to entertain your customers, contact Manco Automatics today by ringing 0161 870 7777. They’ll give you a great price and could have what you’re looking for in place in a matter of days.