WKD, the UK’s No.1 RTD brand1, is launching two new ready-to-serve cocktails in cans. Available in 440ml price-marked packs, WKD Venom and WKD Anti Venom are 6.5% ABV fuss-free pre-mixed cocktails inspired by the popular drinks of the same names available in clubs and bars.
WKD has a long-held association with cocktails: both consumers and bar-staff have for many years mixed WKD with other products to create simple, fun cocktails. With the launch of Venom and Anti Venom, brand-owner SHS Drinks is making great-tasting WKD cocktails available in 440ml cans for the very first time.
With clean, bold, colourful branding and striking snakeskin-style graphics, the two additions to the WKD portfolio have an imposing shelf presence. Available in £2.69 price-marked single cans and in retailer-friendly 12 x 440ml trade outers, the new variants offer both innovation and great value to convenience shoppers.
WKD Venom and WKD Anti Venom help bring a slither of the hard-to-recreate on-trade experience to an off-trade audience. Targeted at 18-24 year-olds, the products are easy to transport, easy to chill and taste great; they are perfect for socialising at home and for ‘pre-drinks’ before heading out.
The two new variants have a fun and fruity flavour profile, and both contain caffeine:
WKD Venom is WKD Blue, bourbon and orange flavour
WKD Anti Venom is WKD Berry, peach schnapps and pineapple flavour
Available in Bargain Booze, Parfetts, United depots (Landmark and Todays), Booker Scotland, Dhamecha and Bestway, WKD’s new 440ml canned cocktails are specifically intended to generate sales for impulse retailers. The large-can format, coupled with a higher ABV than existing WKD products, will both generate footfall and increase basket spend for stockists.
A comprehensive package of brand support is in place to back the roll-out of the WKD canned cocktails in both cash and carry/wholesalers and independent retailers. Pallet displays, trade shows and impactful POS will be augmented by a profile-raising social media campaign designed to generate substantial consumer awareness.
WKD has a commanding position in the RTD category in take home – currently accounting for 41% of all bottle sales2 – and is well placed to further expand its footprint in the canned arena. With RTDs experiencing faster growth than all three core components of the BWS category in take home3, and canned products being the primary source of RTD value growth in the impulse sector4, the opportunities for the new 440ml WKD products are significant.
“This innovation is all about WKD driving growth through a convenience-based solution that reflects consumers’ on-trade habits and preferences,” says Karen Salters, Group Director, SHS Drinks. “We’re embracing the on-trade cocktail trend and enhancing it for the take home consumer. Our latest new products are yet another example of WKD’s long-established role as a catalyst for fun.
“We’re the UK’s No.1 RTD brand1 and activities that grow the category, engage consumers, and build sales for convenience retailers are our priority. Buying cocktails in bars and clubs is exciting and fun; through Venom and Anti Venom, WKD is helping consumers overcome the all-important ‘hard-to-replicate-at-home’ hurdle.”
1Source: Total RTD category combined value (£): Nielsen Scantrack Take Home MAT to 18.05.19 and CGA On-trade MAT to 26.01.19
2Source: Nielsen Scantrack Total Take Home RTD category value (£) MAT to 18.05.19
3Source: Nielsen GB Total Coverage Value & % change vs YA, 23.03.19
4Source: Nielsen Impulse rolling MAT Value Sales, 18.05.19
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