Record growth for cider

Sunniest January on record coincides with record growth for cider

DB sees the strongest January sales on record, while sparkling wine sales take a dive over the festive season

23 February 2015 - Figures released by DB Breweries today revealed Kiwis were reaching for more cider over the Christmas festive period. Supermarket sales in the two weeks prior to Christmas showed an increase in cider volume sales of more than 10 per cent, while sparkling wine – once considered the quintessential festive drink - decreased by 8.5 per cent1.

Beyond the festive season, cider is now the fastest growing alcohol category in New Zealand. AC Nielsen figures2 showed a 25.2 per cent increase in the volume of cider sold in January 2015 versus the same month last year, equating to around $1.2 million in additional sales.

DB Managing Director Andy Routley says New Zealand is seeing a meteoric rise in the popularity of cider.

“Kiwis have a deepening love-affair with cider and this has heightened over the summer months. Between 2010 and 2014 we’ve seen the category grow by more than 315 per cent. We believe this is due, in part, to New Zealand producing some of the world’s best ciders thanks to our locally-grown, high quality fresh fruit. We’re certainly proud of the fact that most of our fresh ingredients come from within a 30km radius of our dedicated Redwood Cider Company premises in Nelson,” says Routley.

DB, through its Redwood cidery, has continued to strengthen its position as the market leader in cider, significantly outperforming the category with 45 per cent volume growth year on year during January 2015.

Routley says sales of DB cider brands, which include Monteith’s, Old Mout, Rekorderlig, and Orchard Thieves, comprise a 45 per cent share of the category’s total volume.

“Almost one in every two litres of cider sold across the country in January was a DB brand and we see our ciders continuing to drive the growth of the category as the year progresses.”

DB brands comprise the top three performing cider brands in the category in January 2015 by volume:
1) Rekorderlig – 14.7 per cent volume share, up 118 per cent year on year; more than double the volume compared with January 2014

2) Monteith’s Cider – 14.3 per cent volume share, up 34 per cent year on year

3) Old Mout – 13.8 per cent volume share, up 9 per cent year on year

The company has continued to invest in and develop its cider offering, including launching New Zealand’s first lower alcohol cider, Monteith’s Lightly Crushed Apple Cider in October 2014.
Routley says DB introduced the product in response to consumer trends showing New Zealanders are looking for more lower alcohol alternatives.
“We’re happy to see Monteith’s Lightly Crushed Apple Cider sales performing as we had hoped. It’s proving a popular alternative with the introduction of the new drink-drive limits, plus consumers are telling us they’re really enjoying its crisp, refreshing taste.”

1 DB Breweries calculation based in part on data reported by Nielson through its Retail Measurement Service for the Cider and Sparkling Wine segments for the 2-week period ending December 28, 2014, for the New Zealand total grocery market. (Copyright © 2015, The Nielson Company.)
2All figures following pertain to AC Nielsen Total Scan Market Volume Sales and Share January 2015

Ends

© Scoop Media