Product Launch - UK: Molson Coors' Carling British Cider

Molson Coors to launch Carling British Cider

Carling brewer to unveil its first cider in the UK

Carling British Cider takes aim at 8 million strong cider/lager crossover drinkers[1]

14th January 2013: Britain’s biggest brewer, Molson Coors, is launching Carling British Cider, its first venture into the cider market. The 4.5% ABV modern premium cider is made in the heart of cider making Herefordshire, and is the latest addition to the Carling family.

Launching exclusively in the off-trade in March 2013, Carling British Cider will be available in 500ml and 275ml bottles and will be in the new bespoke ‘Carling’ bottle, with Pressure Sensitive Labels (PSL), designed to reflect a premium, modern look which really showcases the product.

Following a year refining and perfecting the cider, consumer tests proved that Carling British Cider was preferred to the market leading brands on taste, refreshment, and likelihood to buy. 2.  

The blend of juicy apples gives Carling British Cider a fantastic golden colour and refreshes to the core, with its crisp taste with just a hint of sweetness.

Launching under the Carling brand trademark allows Molson Coors to draw on one of the strongest names in the market to target the 8 million drinkers[2] that enjoy both cider and lager.

Jeremy Gibson – Brand Director Carling at Molson Coors UK says:

“Our aim was to make a product that beats the competition on taste and refreshment and Carling British Cider has done just that. The consumer response has been overwhelmingly positive, proof that the time and investment we’ve made to ensure it is a fantastic product has paid off.”    

Carling British Cider will be available to consumers in March 2013.  To support the launch, Molson Coors is investing £4.5m in an integrated marketing campaign, which will include TV advertising.

The launch of Carling British Cider follows on from the success of Carling Zest, a seasonal, limited edition lager from Carling.

Similar to Carling Zest, Carling British Cider is designed to appeal to a wide cross section of consumers, for a range of occasions. The launch builds on last year’s Carling rebrand, under the positioning ‘Brilliantly British, Brilliantly Refreshing’. 

With Carling British Cider, Molson Coors is taking aim at an off-trade market worth £869m last year, which grew in value by 9% in the year to August 2012[3].

Jeremy Gibson –Brand Director Carling concludes:

“Carling British Cider adds to the diverse portfolio of drinks we already offer to our off-trade customers and their shoppers. Following 30 years of success for Carling, we are entering a growing cider market using the strongest brand name in the industry.”

Original source: Company release