Heineken is to make a renewed off-trade play with Murphy’s Irish Stout in response to growing stout sales in supermarkets.
It will roll out new 4x440ml (rsp: £5) and 10x440ml (rsp: £12) multipacks of Murphy’s across the grocery, wholesale and convenience channels from next month.
The 4% abv stout was last stocked in Tesco in 2022, having previously been delisted by Asda and Sainsbury’s in 2021 and 2019 respectively, according to Assosia data.
The stout category had “performed incredibly well over the past year”, Heineken UK said. Sales across the on and off-trade had grown by 23.7% on volumes up 18%, it said, citing NIQ and CGA data.
In the off-trade specifically, stout sales have grown 15.6% on volumes up 11.3% [NIQ 52 w/e 28 December 2024].
Guinness remains far and away the largest brand in the UK, with sales growing 12.5% to £146.1m last year [NIQ 52 w/e 7 September 2024]. Owner Diageo, however, was forced to ration supplies of the brew late last year, amid fears that “unprecedented demand” could lead to shortages.
First brewed in Cork in 1856, Murphy’s Irish Stout was “a trusted, authentic stout brand” that had grown in popularity over the past year, HUK said.
Buoyed by pubs turning to the stout as an alternative to Guinness, sales of Murphy’s grew 104% in 2024, it said.
“Given stout’s surging performance across the total market, we have seen consumers explore the category further,” said Alexander Wilson, HUK’s off-trade category and commercial strategy director. “As a credible, authentic stout option, Murphy’s has exploded in the on-trade over the past year.
“This expansion of formats in the off-trade will enable even more customers to maximise the stout opportunity and provide consumers with quality options to enjoy at home.”
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