Bulmers is planning an ambitious programme of organic growth, innovation and acquisition in order to double its turnover and become a leading alcoholic drinks supplier. At the heart of this is a growth target of 136% for its leading cider brand Strongbow over three years. The company also hopes to add to its premium packaged lager portfolio which comprises the agencies for Red Stripe, San Miguel, Amstel and Dab. Sales director Jon Jenkins said the company was looking for brands with some scale and would consider acquisitions as well as agencies. Bulmers has also stepped up its new product development work which recently led to the introduction of a 330ml PET for Strongbow and the launch of a new single shot spirit, Sidekick. Increasing Strongbow's volume sales is not an easy task. Last year the cider market declined 2%, although pre Christmas it was in growth. The Bulmer brands already account for 50% of the value share of the take home market. However the company reports value growth of 13% for its ciders, with the big losers being own label and tertiary brands. Jenkins said: "Cider is a mature market but it has very low penetration. Where we have promoted Strongbow at low prices most of the purchases have come from new buyers coming into the category. The key recruitment packs are cans and glass bottles. "So far this year the brand has been growing at 30% and it did the same last year, so we are still on track to hit our targets. Cider is more profitable than beer for retailers. Only 18 months ago it was in decline behind the rest of the long alcoholic drinks market, now it is outpacing it." To keep the momentum on Strongbow going Bulmers has boosted its media spend by 40% to £11m. A new TV ad will continue the Loafing campaign featuring Johnny Vaughan. It is planning to recruit 80,000 regular drinkers with sampling tours of major music events and to extend the number of pack formats, with the addition of 660ml and 275ml glass bottles. {{DRINKS }}

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