Rosie Davenport
Safeway is upping the ante in the speciality beer sector by squeezing the shelf space given to standard lagers to make room for niche brews.
Building on a review of its range last October, when it introduced 60 beers from around the world (The Grocer, October 12, p73), the retailer is determined to become the destination for beer lovers with 12 new beers and the promise of a constantly evolving range.
Head beer buyer Glenn Payne intends to cut back on standard brands to achieve his aim.
He said: "With the big brands it's all to do with price, otherwise there's not a great deal of difference between them. We will concentrate on brands like Foster's and Carling to make room for more craft beers."
Payne's vision will see up to 40 beers from across the globe and 60 UK beers in the average store. Retail units designed by Interbrew to hold speciality beers will be pivotal to the proposition, with 200 stores receiving the stands following a trial in Safeway's St Alban's store.
Instore beer tastings are also planned. Dogfish Head, a 23% abv American stout, and Kwak from Belgium, will join the range later this year.
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Safeway is upping the ante in the speciality beer sector by squeezing the shelf space given to standard lagers to make room for niche brews.
Building on a review of its range last October, when it introduced 60 beers from around the world (The Grocer, October 12, p73), the retailer is determined to become the destination for beer lovers with 12 new beers and the promise of a constantly evolving range.
Head beer buyer Glenn Payne intends to cut back on standard brands to achieve his aim.
He said: "With the big brands it's all to do with price, otherwise there's not a great deal of difference between them. We will concentrate on brands like Foster's and Carling to make room for more craft beers."
Payne's vision will see up to 40 beers from across the globe and 60 UK beers in the average store. Retail units designed by Interbrew to hold speciality beers will be pivotal to the proposition, with 200 stores receiving the stands following a trial in Safeway's St Alban's store.
Instore beer tastings are also planned. Dogfish Head, a 23% abv American stout, and Kwak from Belgium, will join the range later this year.
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