Men ‘feel more confident’ ordering sweet fruity drinks; Men’s increasingly experimental drinks taste is behind SABMiller’s expanded range of beverages

Men ‘feel more confident’ ordering sweet fruity drinks

Men’s increasingly experimental drinks taste is behind SABMiller’s expanded range of beverages

By Olivia Goldhill

6:17PM GMT 11 Feb 2014

Sweeter and fruitier drinks are driving SABMiller sales as men feel increasingly confident ordering alternative beverages.

The world’s second-largest brewer said it was developing its drinks range beyond traditional lagers partly in response to the more experimental tastes of male consumers.

“Men feel much more confident ordering sweeter or fruitier products”, said Tom Verhaegen, managing director of SABMiller Netherlands, speaking at a quarterly investor relations seminar.

The expanded range of drinks choices, intended to be enjoyed alongside food or as an alternative to wine and spirits, is also driven by the growing number of “mixed gender drinking occasions”, where women have a stronger influence on the group drink of choice.

Mr Verhaegen said alternative drinks choices also tapped into the rising demographic of consumers who like to be considered knowledgeable.

“There is a group of consumers with an increasing need to be recognised as experts or connoisseurs in food and drink categories and who like to celebrate special occasions with more premium brands”, he said.

The brewer has created a range of Radlers, which are drunk in Eastern Europe, and a drink called Kornuit in the Netherlands to be drunk alongside food, while a range of less bitter, more unusual Ksiazece beers in Poland are intended to compete with wine and spirits.

SABMiller also said it was focusing on “romancing” its core lager products and improving its premium range, to tap into other demographic shifts such as the growing older generation.

“There’s an aging population which is squeezing our key target group of 25- to 45-year-old beer drinkers. These older consumers are not only becoming more numerous but also more affluent which has an impact on the expectations that they have.

“At the other end of the spectrum we have the millennials who are experimenting more and more not only beyond lager but beyond the beer category, while beer remains their favoured choice”, said Mr Verhaegen.

One of the drinks which taps into more sophisticated tastes is Peroni Nastro Azurro, the second largest premium lager brand in the UK with price per litre 140pc higher than other premium lager.

“Over the last sever years, this brand has broken all the beer category norms in the UK. It has done that by marketing itself as an Italian style icon like Armani or Prada, rather than as a beer”, said Mr Verhaegen.

SABMiller said beer and soft drinks sales in Europe should rise at a low single-digit rate over the next three to five years, as it expands its premium priced drinks range.