The Co-op in beer, wine and spirits shake-up

The Co-op has refreshed its BWS sector, adding 33 new wines and adopting a tailored approach to different areas and customer profiles.

The retailer has beefed up its French offering, adding eight new wines in total, including two new Châteauneuf du Papes – an own label wine for £15.99 and a £17.99 Les Sinards Châteauneuf du Pape 2013.

Six Australian wines, two of which retailing for more than £12, have also joined the roster.

Other wines added include five mid-priced wines from Argentina, three from South African, three Italian still wines and two Proseccos, two wines from Spain and two New Zealand, including a Sauvignon Gris.

Simon Cairns, category manager for beer, wine and spirits, said the changes came in response to the change in the way people shopped.

“We are looking to remove confusion in the drinks aisle and listen to what our shoppers want for each of our stores – the needs of customers in a London city centre store may differ to those shopping in a Scottish village store,” he pointed out.

“This opens up space to interesting and diverse lines where provenance, quality and value are key. We have achieved this in our wine range for example, by working collaboratively with emerging and world renowned wine-making talents.”

The retailer said it had used sales data and market research to determine the new range across its stores. As a result it has boosted allocation of some of its more popular lines so they are more widely available – Chateau de Thauvenay Sancerre is in almost twice the number of stores (from 693 to 1325 stores) while Chateau Sénéjac 2011 has seen its allocation rise from181 to 760 stores.

It has also boosted its craft ales and world beers offer with 13 new products, and is to sell more local beers sold close to the brewery where they were made in Scotland, Wales and the South West.

This comes off the back of a ‘regional ale’ initiative, launched nearly a year ago, which has seen sales increase 12.8%, well ahead of the total UK market of 1.3%, it said.

More world beers are set to be included, with Modelo, Peroni, Singha, and Birra Morretti already joining the range.