Speciality tea supplier Twinings is revamping its Everyday Tea range as it looks to add £20m to the mainstream tea market over the next three years.

Twinings said mainstream tea, which has fallen 4.3% by volume over the past five years [Nielsen 5 y/e 15 September 2012], had become commoditised by promotional activity, and is aiming to encourage consumers to trade up by offering them an alternative to a “mug of builder’s”.

“While Brits love their tea, they’re on autopilot when they shop the tea aisle,” said Twinings sales director Neil Manders. “We know consumers want more from everyday food and drink - the success of premium instant coffee is just one example of this - and believe great taste and a premium proposition is where the tea category needs to go now.”

Twinings is next month rolling out a new blend of Everyday Tea in revamped packaging. The launch will be supported by a £1.5m outdoor and press ad campaign as part of a £9m marketing spend on the Twinings brand this year.

Manders said the company was hoping to persuade consumers to “pay a little bit more for the world’s best quality tea”, and was launching a 40-bag pack of Everyday Tea (rsp: £2.29) designed to drive trial. It will also be selling Everyday Tea in packs of 80 (rsp: £3.49), 160 (rsp: £5.99) and 240 (rsp: £7.49) bags. Currently, the average price of a 160-bag pack of tea at the big four is £3.98 [BrandView.co.uk].

In a bid to add further value to the mainstream category, Twinings has created the four-strong Everyday Extras range by blending Everyday Tea with green tea, echinacea, peppermint and Redbush (rsp: £2.29/40 bags).

Sales of the overall Twinings brand rose 3.7% year-on-year to £70.2m [Nielsen 52 w/e 15 October 2012].

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