Festively fruity

Merrydown CiderTOTAL take-home alcohol sales value increased by 2% last Christmas, generating £4.1 billion-worth of retail sales in the 12-week festive period, said Amanda Grabham, head of brand marketing for Merrydown cider
“In Scotland, premium glass-bottled cider performed particularly well with sales value up by almost 6% over the Christmas period,” she added.”
“It’s worth noting that multiple grocers increased the amount of display space devoted to cider by 22% last Christmas”.
This Christmas two newcomers to the Merrydown Cider range – 6% ABV medium cider and 4% ABV Merrydown Blackcurrant Cider, both packaged in 500ml bottles – are making their festive debut.
“The growth in consumer interest and sales of flavoured cider has been phenomenal,” Grabham said.
“It’s a sector which is still very much in its ascendancy in Scotland where sales volume in take-home is up by 42% and value by 39% in the past 12 months.”