UK: Carlsberg aims to take a slice of the premium market

Retailers should site the newly-rebranded Carlsberg alongside more premium lagers, as the supplier takes measures to challenge the perception that the brew is an “old man’s beer”, betterRetailing reported on March 5.

Speaking at the re-launch of the brand in London, Liam Newton, vice president of marketing at Carlsberg, said it wanted to stop consumers comparing it to brands like Carling and Foster's, and instead see it on the same level as Amstel and Coors Light.

To achieve this, for the first time in over 20 years, it has changed the recipe and relaunched as Carlsberg Pilsner with an ABV of 3.8%.

“We acknowledge the fact that over the years, we have slipped in maintaining the best quality,” he admitted, adding: “The standard lager category has been a tough place to trade in, so to boost sales, we had to make the brew and packaging more appealing.

"Eighty-four per cent of shoppers are trading up and prepared to pay more, and we want to tap into this.”

Lynsey Woods, the company’s director of marketing, said in addition to the reformulation, it is introducing a new stem glass, which will be available to independent retailers in the coming months.

The rebrand also hopes to recruit more female drinkers to the category, making the brand “more unisex”, and will continue to sponsor Live Nation festivals, such as Latitude and Glastonbury.

For independents who are located near festivals, Newton added it would support them by providing category and merchandising advice in the run up.

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