Brock on: Badger aims to grow

March 1, 2006: Hall & Woodhouse plans to double the size of the bottled ale market with the launch of a new category management programme called BadgerZone.

Hall & Woodhouse is the only brewer to have five ales within the top-selling 20 premium bottled ales, and its Badger range has experienced a ten-fold growth since 1996. Hall & Woodhouse has an 8.6 per cent share of the bottled ale market.

At the end of 2005 sales of Badger bottled ales had increased by 17 per cent. Sales of Tanglefoot cans had grown by 30 per cent - itself a five-fold increase in just five years.

“We aim to double the bottled category size and clearly position ourselves as the ‘category captain'," said group head of brands, David French. "No other brewer can lay claim to levels of expertise and market dominance that Badger enjoys in this sector."

Data shows that 18 per cent of UK households buy bottled ales, but Badger believe this can be raised to around 30 per cent. “Of the estimated 1.6 million new households to shop the premium bottled ale category, nearly half have done so via the Badger brand," said Rick Payne, brand marketing manager at Hall & Woodhouse, "Our strategy has been and remains to brew quality ales with a range of tastes that appeal to clear and distinct segments of the target market."

Badger First Gold, launched six months ago has had great success in the cask market. It replaced Badger Best within the on-trade and has reversed a two per cent decline in sales to become a brand showing five per cent growth.

Hall & Woodhouse has enjoyed immense critical success with its Badger bottled ales and is the only brewer to have won the Tesco beer challenge three times and retain distribution. In addition, Badger First Gold Ale, available in cask, bottles and cans, was voted world champion ale and won two gold medals at the 2005 Brewing Industry International Awards.

New products will include Stinger Ale, made with organic nettles from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Estate, plus a brand new beer brewed exclusively for Tesco.

The Badger range also now carries improved back–labels, with a graphic taste chart indicator, beer and food recommendations, plus responsible drinking messages.