Bulmers is working on a radical revamp of the beer and cider fixtures, which it believes will boost sales all round. It is testing a format that merchandises all the cider products by pack type, not product style, as is usually the case. The obvious benefit for the cidermaker is that it solves the problem of what to do with the cider fixture, which is usually tacked on the end of the beer aisle. The company's flagship brand Strongbow is the 10th bestselling long drink on the market and it competes with lagers and ales as much as it does with other ciders. Bulmers has been working with a major multiple to test its theory that sales improve across the long drinks fixture if PETs are sold next to PETs, cans with cans and bottles with bottles. This kept premiums and standards apart but mixed up lagers, ales, ciders and premixed spirits. Category development manager Andy Patten said: "Our research suggests people are not confused by this. The top line sales data in the test store indicates cider's rate of sale went up by 10%. "It also suggested that sales from the beer and cider category increased overall and it may have boosted customers' repertoires." So far the experiment is restricted to a test and a control store but Patten wants to expand this. "We believe pack size is a much more relevant to the way people shop as they consider the usage occasions for the drinks," he said. Bulmers is analysing data from the tests, which includes interviews with 200 shoppers as well as a report by retail research and design company ID Magasin. The firm has been using the latest technology to test consumer reactions to the new style aisles. {{DRINKS }}

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