New Look Labels

Batemans gives its best-selling bottled ales added ‘shelf appeal’

Independent family brewer, Batemans, has given its best-selling bottled ales a facelift to further connect with today’s more educated breed of supermarket shoppers and boost sales.

Mocha, Triple XB (XXXB), Victory and Combined Harvest have all been given a revamp to bring the beers right up to date with modern demand and tastes.

The wavy labels and more traditional typography and images and dark colours have all been replaced with square edges, contemporary lettering, bright colours and bold shapes. While the company branding on the neck of the bottles carries Batemans’ modern new logo.

Managing Director, Stuart Bateman, said: “As part of our commitment to innovation we’re brewing new draught beers for the modern palate on a regular basis and we want this to be reflected, not only by the way they taste, but the way they look too.

“We’re constantly keeping tabs on the market. We’ve recognised that the major multi-grocers beer buyers’ focus has now shifted away from offering a wide regional/local choice due mainly to their inflexible store supply infrastructures and store planograms. They’re giving more space to nationally ranged modern craft beer.

“Only five years ago, the bottled ale local range mantra came direct from the boardroom however, their focus has now shifted to range simplification. We knew that in order to maximise our sales opportunity in these changing category strategies, we needed to refresh our existing range packaging, which we’ve now done, successfully bringing 145 years’ brewing history firmly into the 21^st century.”

“Batemans has been a major part of the off trade PBA scene for over 20 years and although we’ve built a loyal off trade following supporting a good rate of sale, we need to attract the younger drinkers who are being drawn to beer through their on-trade experience of modern craft beer but are starting to realise that, in the off trade, there is real crafted quality and value to be had in bottled ales.”

According to research carried out by Marston’s*, 84% of craft beer drinkers purchase their beer from supermarkets, with 55% of craft drinkers expected to drink more craft beer at home from 2018-19. Meanwhile, the same report revealed that 34% of ale shoppers are motivated by attractive labelling to try new or different ales and 60% of ale drinkers are ‘experimenters’, who are willing to sample new ales and craft beer.

Stuart added: “On one hand modern craft beer is growing in popularity and consumers are better educated, but on the other, there’s increased saturation and competition to contend with.

“The challenge for us brewers, is getting younger drinker’s attention in the first instance by producing bottled ales that look and taste great. Fortunately, we’ve had almost 150 years’ experience of anticipating and evolving with consumer demand and using our creativity and gritty determination to continue to serve up excellent ales on all levels.”

Take a look at the range here

* Marston’s Off Trade Beer Report 2018