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Beefeater to paint town pink with launch of strawberry gin

Published:  14 February, 2018

Pernod Ricard is stepping up its engagement with the gin category with the launch of Beefeater Pink this April.

Bringing together natural strawberry flavour with a classic base of juniper and citrus, this new 37.5% abv addition to the pink gin category is aimed at the millennial generation, aiming to tap into the booming gin market by appealing to what it describes as the growing demand for diverse and complex flavours.

The spring launch will see a blitz of advertising in London and via social media, before Beefeater Pink is rolled out in other markets.

In addition, the company is also extending its Plymouth Gin brand with the launch of Plymouth Fruit Cup, based on a traditional fruit punch, in time for the summer.

These portfolio additions come against a backdrop of strong growth for Pernod Ricard’s gin portfolio, with its recently released FY18 half-year results showing its brands outperforming the overall gin market.

Speaking at the launch at the Beefeater distillery in south London, Pernod Ricard’s UK managing director Laurent Pillet said that the company’s gin portfolio sales were up 52% in 2017, ahead of total growth for gin in the UK of 36%.

Leading that growth was Beefeater, up by 55.9%, while the more niche Monkey Shoulder 47, which Pernod acquired a majority share in at the beginning of 2016, more than doubled its sales in the on-trade, up 120%.

Pernod CEO Alexandre Ricard said that the launch of Beefeater Pink came on the back of much research into the gin market, centred on what consumers consider when choosing a gin.

“The biggest difference with new consumers versus the older generation is loyalty – older generations are loyal to one brand, new consumer are still loyal but to a number of brands, depending on where they are, who they are with, what the moment is,” he said.

“Marketing is no longer by segment, but by moment,” added Ricard, referring to Pernod Ricard’s focus on research-backed ‘moments of consumption’, including categories such as ‘aperitif moments’, ‘high energy moments’ and ‘sophistication’.

Ricard also highlighted “strong global growth across the premium and super-premium” brands in Pernod Ricard’s portfolio, adding that: “The taste for drinking less but better, a global trend, is great for our company – we like that.”

Beefeater Pink will retail at £18.99.


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