Badger Brewery has hailed the impact of a “bold rebrand” for helping it to buck declines in the premium bottled ale (PBA) category.
Citing Kantar data, Badger said volume sales of its ales grew 51.6% in the 12 weeks ended 29 September 2024, compared with the same period the year prior, and against a 10% decline for the overall PBA category.
The data also showed the number of shopping trips in which Badger ales were purchased increased by 12%, while shoppers bought an average of 37% more beer on those trips, the Hall & Woodhouse-owned brewer added.
The Badger PBA range was relaunched in September 2023 with the aim of giving the beers “a more contemporary feel”, said head of brand marketing Giles Mountford.
“Making root and branch changes to a much-loved brand like Badger wasn’t done lightly, but with the PBA category in long-term decline, we felt bold action was needed,” Mountford said.
The rebrand, which saw “new vibrant designs” featuring illustrations of wildlife characters from the brewer’s Dorset homeland introduced, was “anchored in consumer research”, Mountford said.
Shoppers said the PBA sector was “a ‘sea of similar-looking, old-fashioned labels without clear taste guidance”, he added.
“By giving the beers a more contemporary feel, we’ve been able to capture some of the many consumers who drink across both the craft and PBA categories, but we’ve also retained our loyal Badger drinkers,” he added.
The relaunched Badger range comprises eight beers across a variety of styles. They are stocked in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose, as well as on Ocado.
A standout performer was Badger’s Master Stoat, which was “riding the wave of the stout boom”, said Badger. Volumes of Master Stoat grew 28% in the four weeks to 1 December 2024, compared with the four weeks to the end of January in the same year, it said [Kantar].
No comments yet