New WKD Cocktails – All the fun, none of the ‘faff’
Inspired by the brand’s strong track-record as an ingredient in fun cocktails, WKD – Northern Ireland’s no.1 RTD1 – is launching a range of pre-mixed bottled cocktails specifically for the take home market. Delivering all the taste and excitement but with none of the hassle associated with mix-your-own recipes, WKD COCKTAILS debut on shelves in June.
Presented in striking 700ml fully sleeved sharing bottles and offered in two varieties – Blue Lagoon and Tropical Sunrise – WKD Cocktails will deliver convenient, fuss-free popular cocktails to an 18 to 24-year-old target market. With premium packaging, pre-mixed ingredients and a 5.5% ABV, the inventive new products will have an RRP of £5.00 in multiple grocers, with price-marked variants available for independents.
WKD Inspired Cocktails
Referencing the brand’s success in WKD-inspired cocktails in the on-trade – where some 30% of sales are from cocktail inclusion2 – the vibrant sleeve designs showcase the sharing jugs which have proven so popular with consumers on nights out over the years. The striking, stylised jug graphics will generate strong shelf stand-out and resonate with shoppers. In Blue Lagoon (an alcoholic mix of WKD Blue blended with citrus, berry, and vodka flavours) and Tropical Sunrise (an alcoholic mix of WKD Orange & Passionfruit blended with citrus, strawberry, and vodka flavours), brand owner SHS Drinks has drawn inspiration from cocktail menus and focused on flavours that consumers know and love.
With the RTD category in Northern Ireland take home currently growing at +42%3 annually, WKD is bringing premium, yet accessible, bottled cocktails to a receptive off-trade audience.
Cocktails at home
With lockdown experiences having generated a 50% increase in the number of on-trade cocktail drinkers seeking mixed drinks or cocktails at home4, SHS Drinks believes that category-leading WKD is perfectly poised to amplify this opportunity for retailers.
WKD Cocktails will be available from Tesco, SuperValu, Centra, Wineflair, LA Drinks, United Wines, Connolly Liquor and AFT Drinks, Omagh, from June. An intensive programme of activity – including in-store display and bespoke activation – will support the launch.
A high-profile communications campaign will build consumer awareness through social media, influencer activity and extensive PR.
Alison Gray, head of brand – WKD at SHS Drinks, says: “Our new launches bring all the fun and enjoyment of cocktails from the bar into the home; we’ve done all the hard work so consumers don’t have to worry about equipment, recipes or ingredients to mix the perfect drink. We believe that WKD will recruit a different consumer profile to the existing ready-to-serve (RTS*) category and our new cocktails will encourage trading up and deliver increased value to stockists in Northern Ireland.
“Consumers love WKD and consumers love cocktails; to combine the two and bring a flavour of the on-trade to the take home market is a recipe for success for retailers.”
1Source: Nielsen Scantrack NI Take Home RTD volume (L) & value (£) MAT to 27.03.21
2Source: Managed Late Night GB Customer MAT Jan 2020
1Source: Nielsen Scantrack NI Take Home RTD value (£) MAT to 27.03.21
4Source: CGA GB On-trade Sept 2020 – one in two consumers who previously drank cocktails in the on-trade now choosing a mixed drink or cocktail at home vs one in three choosing pre-Covid
*RTS category comprises cocktails in cans, pre-mixed bottled cocktails, and pre-prepared spirit-mixers.
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