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supermarket
SHELF assembly
For the second year in a row, Waitrose is the leading supermarket when it comes to beer, wine and spirits
with a particular focus on its fine wine offer. James Bone, buying manager for wines said there had been a renewed strategy to offer greater choice within the fine wine range, making it easier for consumers to navigate with the introduction of a “ladder”.
“Last year we looked at fine wine and it was getting condensed in terms of price and needed more of a ladder,” he said, adding that the revamp has started with Italy and moved into the “heartland” of Burgundy. “Now there is more of a ladder, which makes it more exciting for customers to find wines at different price points, and an opportunity to trade up.”
In terms of innovation, the team recently set out to trial a “new generation” of in- store tech with the launch of video shelf- edge technology in its beer, wine and spirits aisle. This has digitised information, giving customers access to its wine team’s tasting notes and recommendations, including food-and-wine matching.
Outside of the store, the Waitrose events team has also been busy, confirming that its consumer Drinks Festival will return for a second year on 17-19 November 2017.
Launched last year, the event was a culmination of six months’ work by the buying teams, who are not only active in the planning the festival, but also provide ‘tours’ of their respective categories to consumers on the day. db
SUPERMARKET OF THE YEAR, SPONSORED BY McGUIGAN WINES:
WAITROSE
Scooping the Supermarket of the Year award for the second year running, Waitrose impressed judges with its breadth of activity across its entire BWS range, with a raft of product launches, innovative activations and consumer engagement taking place throughout the year.
In September, Waitrose added a range of half-bottles to its own-label range including a Prosecco, a rosé and two fortified wines. The half-bottles form part of the retailer’s new Blueprint Wine range, and mark complete relaunch and redesign of the retailer’s mid-tier own-label range.
This year also saw the launch of a new premium bag-in-box wine range to meet increasing demand for larger formats. The new range comprises six wines, varying from 1.5-litre to 2.25l boxes, and includes a 1.5l Côte Bleu Méditerranée Rosé – the first time Waitrose has sold a pale, dry rosé in the bag-in-box format.
Sherry also received a summer refresh, with the retailer boosting and redesigning its own-label range, abandoning its colour- coordinated look in favour of more individual styles to add more on-shelf appeal. At the same time, Waitrose expanded its entire BWS range with the addition of 90 new lines, including 11 new craft beers, six spirits and a raft of wines,
Sponsor: McGuigan Wines
Since the 1880s, the McGuigan family has made wine its life, and its spirit and commitment towards modern Australian winemaking still continues today.
Neil McGuigan, the company’s chief winemaker and CEO, is the driving force behind the brand’s amazing accolades, and is passionate about delivering innovative, high- quality Australian wine to people all over the world. His philosophy is very simple: “The wine is the hero.” Neil was also the 2015 president of the IWSC.
Today, McGuigan Wines aims to produce the best-quality wines that over-deliver on every price point, just as four McGuigan generations have done before.
CONTACT: Australian Vintage, 2nd Floor, Stephenson House, 2 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Greater London CR0 6BA
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7924 8850
Email: McGuiganWinesUK@australianvintage.com.au
20 winners’ guide 2017