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Top 10 tips for selling more cider
The post Top 10 tips for selling more cider appeared first on The Drinks Business.
The cider market is worth £1.1 billion in the UK, but what are the best ways to maximise sales? Here, db looks at the findings from the Westons Cider Report to help the trade boost revenue.
Cider has been beset by challenges and in 2024, although more than 676 million litres of cider were bought in the UK, this reflected a noted decrease in volume of 3.1-% when compared to the previous year. However, recent statistics have highlighted the areas where cider is succeeding. As such, db has broken down the key sales drivers to help businesses find a route to success for the future.
Irrespective of any stagnation for cider sales, the value of the total cider category in the UK is still £3.09 billion which is a slight year-on-year increase of 0.8%, so let’s look at the evidence gleaned by Westons to showcase the top 10 ways of garnering interest.
Sell food alongside cider
Food is key to the cider drinking experience with 51.0% of on-trade serves being with food, and 77.6% for the off-trade which is an increase versus last year. The biggest increase in the on-trade has been for crisps/nuts/bagged snacks which is now 14.2% of serves. The off-trade in particular has seen an increase in formal meals and light snacks, according to the report.
Lean into Fridays and Saturdays
In both the on- and off-trade channels most cider serves are on a Saturday, this has decreased slightly compared to last year but in both cases over a quarter of serves are on this day of the week. Fridays have now also become more popular with gains being seen in both the on- and the off-trade. Plus, the data outlines how almost 20% of serves are on a Friday.
Boost trade during the late afternoons
The findings showed it had become recognisable that the suitability of cider for specific dayparts was now an important consideration to maximise cider’s rate of sale and margin in pubs and bars in particular. Visits have begun moving into earlier dayparts, with the mid-afternoon and early evening cider drinkers increasing at the expense of late evening and late night.
Use stock placement to appeal to shopper mentality
Half of all cider sales go through the convenience store channel, so getting the range right is of critical importance. The report suggested that with less space to play with, one way to alleviate pressure on in-demand refrigerated space is to place single bottles for impulse shopping occasions in the fridge and then use ambient fixture space and stacks for larger packs.
Get behind craft cider
The craft cider segment is performing well in convenience stores as well as within the total UK market, but the research outlined how there is still headroom to grow since this segment makes up 20% of value in the convenience store channel, compared with 24% in total market. Looking at the figures, the distribution of craft cider is 95.4% across convenience, stores compared to 98.4% across the total market. As such, analysts have observed that matching market distribution in convenience could single-handedly give value sales a boost. To make the most of the boon, outlets should be stocking several craft apple ciders. In terms of value, craft cider averages £4.32 per litre in convenience stores compared to the total cider market at £2.76 per litre, so this means craft options can help grow revenue whilst offering a premium product to drinkers.
Unleash potential via the supermarkets
Even if it doesn’t seem like the best fit for certain ciders, the brand awareness and sales opportunity seen in the supermarket segment is still king. As the report highlighted, the big four supermarkets essentially account for 60% of all cider sales, the same as a year ago. (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons) and this shows now sign of waning.
Get your pricing right
How cider is positioned in the category and indeed how it is benchmarked against other drinks is paramount to its success. For instance, the average price of cider per litre is £2.64, up from £2.55 a year ago. Plus, while considering that 40.9% of UK households buy cider, there is a big chance that popularity and brand loyalty also play a part in repurchasing along with price-related positioning. Looking at the consumption patterns, households in the UK purchase an average of 33.6 litres of cider per year, but this is down 1.2% compared to last year, so retaining a premium but accessible position through how much it retails for is a must.
Seek out regional opportunities
With any trend, there is also an opportunity to either jump on the bandwagon or look for the gaps in the market. The report highlighted how cider continues to have a southern bias with the five most southern TV regions making up 63% of cider volume sold. Plus, this is even higher for crafted cider with 73% of volume coming from the south. That said, this also means there is a big opportunity to market and grow cider to other regions as a way of enlivening the category and assisting in its reach across the UK.
Ditch the plastic
There are two main formats in the cider category – glass bottles and cans. The report noted how the plastic bottle has become a much smaller part of the category in recent years and is now less than 10% of value. Assessing packaging, it also recognised how cans have seen growth in the last year, and stated that this has led to an increase in share from 60% a year ago. Although, let it be said that the decline in glass bottles is partly down to some brands actively switching out of bottle and into can, however, looking specifically at the data within the craft cider segment, sales of glass bottles are still up 8.7%, with the emerging 750ml format contributing to this growth showing that there is room for growth when looking at sharing bottles and treating cider more like wine.
Assess brand leadership successes
Of the top 10 cider brands in the report, only four cider makers have seen growth. Westons has added over £8 million to the cider category compared to last year (+7.6%), Thatchers has grown 9%, Aston Manor has seen growth through its Crumpton Oak brand, and Healeys is up 7.1% year-on-year. Looking at the data, Molson Coors has seen the biggest year-on-decline in the top 10, whoch is partly down to it enduring declines in sales of brands including its Aspall Premier Cru (-24.9%) and Rekorderlig Wild Berry (-32.1%).
Earlier this month, db reported that cider has reached an historic £2 billion valuation in UK on-trade for the first time, according the Heineken Cider Report 2025. The data outlined how the cider category has seen growth in value over the last two years and has become the second most popular alcoholic drink in pubs, bars, and restaurants. Although the figures don't align specifically with the insight from Westons, the value-driven data still shows an upward trend for cider.
Looking at the trends across craft cider and food pairings, db also previously reported on how quality cider is now being treated with the same reverence as wine in fine dining establishments by some of the best Epicureans in the business, showing the opportunities the category continues to present.
Cider has been beset by challenges and in 2024, although more than 676 million litres of cider were bought in the UK, this reflected a noted decrease in volume of 3.1-% when compared to the previous year. However, recent statistics have highlighted the areas where cider is succeeding. As such, db has broken down the key sales drivers to help businesses find a route to success for the future.
Irrespective of any stagnation for cider sales, the value of the total cider category in the UK is still £3.09 billion which is a slight year-on-year increase of 0.8%, so let’s look at the evidence gleaned by Westons to showcase the top 10 ways of garnering interest.
Sell food alongside cider
Food is key to the cider drinking experience with 51.0% of on-trade serves being with food, and 77.6% for the off-trade which is an increase versus last year. The biggest increase in the on-trade has been for crisps/nuts/bagged snacks which is now 14.2% of serves. The off-trade in particular has seen an increase in formal meals and light snacks, according to the report.
Lean into Fridays and Saturdays
In both the on- and off-trade channels most cider serves are on a Saturday, this has decreased slightly compared to last year but in both cases over a quarter of serves are on this day of the week. Fridays have now also become more popular with gains being seen in both the on- and the off-trade. Plus, the data outlines how almost 20% of serves are on a Friday.
Boost trade during the late afternoons
The findings showed it had become recognisable that the suitability of cider for specific dayparts was now an important consideration to maximise cider’s rate of sale and margin in pubs and bars in particular. Visits have begun moving into earlier dayparts, with the mid-afternoon and early evening cider drinkers increasing at the expense of late evening and late night.
Use stock placement to appeal to shopper mentality
Half of all cider sales go through the convenience store channel, so getting the range right is of critical importance. The report suggested that with less space to play with, one way to alleviate pressure on in-demand refrigerated space is to place single bottles for impulse shopping occasions in the fridge and then use ambient fixture space and stacks for larger packs.
Get behind craft cider
The craft cider segment is performing well in convenience stores as well as within the total UK market, but the research outlined how there is still headroom to grow since this segment makes up 20% of value in the convenience store channel, compared with 24% in total market. Looking at the figures, the distribution of craft cider is 95.4% across convenience, stores compared to 98.4% across the total market. As such, analysts have observed that matching market distribution in convenience could single-handedly give value sales a boost. To make the most of the boon, outlets should be stocking several craft apple ciders. In terms of value, craft cider averages £4.32 per litre in convenience stores compared to the total cider market at £2.76 per litre, so this means craft options can help grow revenue whilst offering a premium product to drinkers.
Unleash potential via the supermarkets
Even if it doesn’t seem like the best fit for certain ciders, the brand awareness and sales opportunity seen in the supermarket segment is still king. As the report highlighted, the big four supermarkets essentially account for 60% of all cider sales, the same as a year ago. (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons) and this shows now sign of waning.
Get your pricing right
How cider is positioned in the category and indeed how it is benchmarked against other drinks is paramount to its success. For instance, the average price of cider per litre is £2.64, up from £2.55 a year ago. Plus, while considering that 40.9% of UK households buy cider, there is a big chance that popularity and brand loyalty also play a part in repurchasing along with price-related positioning. Looking at the consumption patterns, households in the UK purchase an average of 33.6 litres of cider per year, but this is down 1.2% compared to last year, so retaining a premium but accessible position through how much it retails for is a must.
Seek out regional opportunities
With any trend, there is also an opportunity to either jump on the bandwagon or look for the gaps in the market. The report highlighted how cider continues to have a southern bias with the five most southern TV regions making up 63% of cider volume sold. Plus, this is even higher for crafted cider with 73% of volume coming from the south. That said, this also means there is a big opportunity to market and grow cider to other regions as a way of enlivening the category and assisting in its reach across the UK.
Ditch the plastic
There are two main formats in the cider category – glass bottles and cans. The report noted how the plastic bottle has become a much smaller part of the category in recent years and is now less than 10% of value. Assessing packaging, it also recognised how cans have seen growth in the last year, and stated that this has led to an increase in share from 60% a year ago. Although, let it be said that the decline in glass bottles is partly down to some brands actively switching out of bottle and into can, however, looking specifically at the data within the craft cider segment, sales of glass bottles are still up 8.7%, with the emerging 750ml format contributing to this growth showing that there is room for growth when looking at sharing bottles and treating cider more like wine.
Assess brand leadership successes
Of the top 10 cider brands in the report, only four cider makers have seen growth. Westons has added over £8 million to the cider category compared to last year (+7.6%), Thatchers has grown 9%, Aston Manor has seen growth through its Crumpton Oak brand, and Healeys is up 7.1% year-on-year. Looking at the data, Molson Coors has seen the biggest year-on-decline in the top 10, whoch is partly down to it enduring declines in sales of brands including its Aspall Premier Cru (-24.9%) and Rekorderlig Wild Berry (-32.1%).
Earlier this month, db reported that cider has reached an historic £2 billion valuation in UK on-trade for the first time, according the Heineken Cider Report 2025. The data outlined how the cider category has seen growth in value over the last two years and has become the second most popular alcoholic drink in pubs, bars, and restaurants. Although the figures don't align specifically with the insight from Westons, the value-driven data still shows an upward trend for cider.
Looking at the trends across craft cider and food pairings, db also previously reported on how quality cider is now being treated with the same reverence as wine in fine dining establishments by some of the best Epicureans in the business, showing the opportunities the category continues to present. 
