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Brand blocking plea on new-look Old Speckled Hen
East Anglia brewer Greene King is hoping other supermarkets will follow the example set by Tesco and brand block its Old Speckled Hen premium ale in-store.
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| Around 60% of Old Speckled Hen sales go through the off-trade. |
The brewer believes new brand designs coming on stream this month (September) will make it easier for retailers to merchandise the different pack formats cans, bottles and multipacks together on-shelf.
The decision to introduce new pack designs for the off-trades leading premium ale brand is part of a strategy to widen the appeal of Old Speckled Hen by giving it a premium beer status, as revealed by Checkout (June 2006), and make it more appealing to non-ale drinkers.
Tesco has brand blocked Old Speckled Hen for some time and Greene King is now in talks with other retailers. Other customers are supportive, said director of take-home Neil Jardine, but it isnt necessarily something that will happen over night. In other accounts it is more of a work in progress.
He said the major multiples were aware of the ambitious plans Greene King has for Old Speckled Hen, sales of which have grown by more than 60% in the off-trade over the last five years to make it a £20m brand.
It is hoped that by giving Old Speckled Hen a more modern image it will persuade light users of the brand, who also drink premium lager, to increase consumption, as well as attract new consumers. Its about bringing in new drinkers from other categories, said Jardine.
Greene King is supporting the packaging initiative by spending almost £1m on a national newspaper campaign between October and December. The ads will feature the Fox character that has been used in the brands advertising for the past 11 years.
Around 60% of Old Speckled Hen sales go through the off-trade. In the on-trade new pump clips are being introduced and the strength of the cask and keg versions is being reduced from 5.2% alcohol-by-volume to 4.5% abv to make it more of a mid-strength ale and so more sessionable for drinkers. The off-trade brew will remain at 5.2% abv.
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