How to supply the cider spike this summer

Summer remains the standout season for cider, with warmer weather prompting shoppers to prepare for at home celebrations and outdoor events. As consumers look to stock up for these moments, retailers are presented with a clear opportunity to grow sales by offering the right range and formats to tap into the demand.

By ensuring strong availability and a wide range of trusted brands, including Strongbow, Inch’s and Old Mout, retailers can confidently meet demand throughout the season.

Catering to different occasions

The summer season brings a mix of planned and spontaneous drinking moments, such as BBQs, picnics in the park and festivals. Retailers should ensure they have a good availability of different pack sizes to tailor to these occasions and increase basket spend. Small packs of cider perform great in the peak summer season as shoppers look for chilled, ready to drink options to cater to those on-the-go moments, festivals and last-minute occasions.

Retailers should look to stock some of the best performing small pack formats in the HEINEKEN UK portfolio, such as:

• Strongbow Dark Fruit in 4x440ml packs
• Inch’s Medium Apple in 4x440ml packs
• Old Mout Berries & Cherries in 500ml single bottles

It’s also important to keep these formats chilled so they’re ready for immediate consumption, and team them up with snacks or BBQ items to drive cross category sales.

For shoppers hosting large gatherings or FIFA World Cup watch parties, mid and large packs are ideal for stocking up at home. To ensure this demand is being met, retailers should look to stock a good availability of these formats, including:

• Inch’s Medium Apple in 10x440ml packs
• Strongbow Original in 10x440ml packs

Meeting the demand for low- and no-

Although the demand for low- and no- alcohol is an all-year-round opportunity, the category over indexes during the summer. For example, low- and no- beer and cider sales grew by a total of 49% in summer 2025 [Research], demonstrating the trend for moderation.

When looking at the brands within the HEINEKEN UK portfolio, growth is currently being led by Inch’s Cider. Last year, Inch’s entered the booming low- and no- category with the launch of Inch’s 0.0, the first dealcoholised cider in the UK and a credible option for those looking to moderate their alcohol intake. Delivering the same quality and taste as its alcoholic equivalent, as Inch’s Medium Apple, Inch’s 0.0 already commands a sales value of £1.3m [Nielsen] in the category.

For consumers looking for a fruit flavoured low- and no- option, Old Mout Berries & Cherries Alcohol Free, which has a sales value of £476k [Nielsen] in the UK, offers a premium experience for those exploring the category. Available in 500ml bottles, it’s a must-stock to cater to those on-the-go moments.

Retailers should ensure a good stock of:

• At least one apple flavoured low- and no – option
• One fruit-flavoured low- and no- option to tick that premium box

This will help stores to cater to moderating drinkers and various social occasions.

Balancing mainstream and premium cider

Mainstream apple flavoured ciders are seeing a strong growth with SKUs in this category accounting for £146m in sales in the key summer period in 2025 [Research], demonstrating an increased taste for this flavour amongst consumers. While this flavour accelerates, it is also an important consideration for retailers and shoppers look to trade up or seek a new flavour experience:

• Mainstream apple cider: Inch’s Medium Apple, Inch’s Cloudy and Inch’s Reserve gives retailers a breadth of choice to supply many drinking occasions.
• Premium and flavoured cider: To attract younger shoppers to the category, retailers should stock premium options, such as Old Mout Pineapple & Raspberry and its latest NPD, Old Mout Mango & Passionfruit, to tap into that shopper demand and give them the option to trade up for special occasions.

Retailer advice

Sarah Duncan, category & commercial strategy director at Heineken UK, shares her top tips for retailers to build a cider range that meets the need of all consumers:

• Stock a strong apple cider from trusted, core brands, such as Strongbow Original and Inch’s Medium Apple
• Cover a key range of formats, including small packs for on-the-go moments, larger packs for gatherings and chilled, single bottles for immediate consumption Include low- and no- options to meet the consumer demand
• Consider premium SKUs, such as Inch’s Reserve and Old Mout to increase basket spend
• Include low- and no- options to meet the consumer demand

Star retailer

Retailers can access cider category advice and product information by visiting Heineken UK’s Star Retailer platform at www.starretailer.co.uk/.