Bestway Wholesale has relaunched its strong cider brand, dropping the ‘White’ from the White Ace name and introducing a new packaging design that features a “refreshing apple” motif.
The move to Ace Cider was made following consumer research by supplier Aston Manor that explored the needs of over 400 regular high strength cider drinkers, in which 93% of those surveyed considered the term “white cider” negative and unhelpful. Consumers said it was the refreshing apple cider taste that motivated their choice and purchase decision and wanted to see this communicated more in packaging designs and product descriptions.
Roopinder Toor, Director of Trading for Licensed at Bestway Wholesale, commented: “As part of the redesign of Ace, a fundamental change is removing the term ‘white’ from both the name and the product description in response to consumer demands. We always strive to meet the needs of shoppers and consumers and the research undertaken identified taste as the primary reason why consumers buy into the strong cider category rather than strength or price.
“As part of the redesign, we have also introduced an apple graphic as the main on-pack image to reinforce Ace Cider’s main ingredient and refreshing apple taste. We have also taken the decision to remove price-marks from packs. This removal allows retailers the flexibility to price according to the needs of their store and be fully compliant with Minimum Unit Pricing which comes into effect in Scotland on May 1.”
Ace Cider is available in 500ml cans as well as 1-litre, 2-litre and 3-litre PET bottles. It is available exclusively from Bestway and Batleys depots and online at bestway.co.uk.
The new packs are being introduced into depots in April.
