LIWF news: CyT UK creates merchandising team

Published: 23 May, 2012

CyT UK has unveiled plans for a new merchandising team that will be tasked with giving independent off-licences more confidence when displaying and talking about wine.

Starting next month, the new team will initially consist of four people, although commercial director Simon Doyle anticipates it will expand "very quickly".

The team will predominantly work with independent off-licences, of which Doyle claims there are around 28,000 in the UK. Their role will be ensuring CyT UK's wines are listed, merchandised correctly and staff are talking about them in the right way.

"It's really grass roots stuff," Doyle said. "We need to make sure that we give [consumers] reasons to buy, that needs to be a focus, and explain why they should pay more."

The main focus for the team will be on CyT UK's Chilean brand Casillero del Diablo. "This industry doesn't take the role of the brand seriously. We want consumers to pay more and we have to give consumers a very good reason - brands can play a key role in that," Doyle told Harpers.

At CyT UK, Chile remains the "life blood" of the company, according to Doyle, but it's also "determined to make Argentina work and make sure there's a continuous supply".

While the new merchandising team will chiefly target off-trade operators, Doyle added that "there's a big opportunity with the national on-trade" and CyT UK will be focusing on "establishing a better base" in the sector.

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