?Chivas whisky's education programme drives growth

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 01 April, 2014

Scotch whisky brand Chivas Regal has seen strong growth over the past year thanks to an education programme on blended whiskies

Scotch whisky brand Chivas Regal has seen strong growth over the past year thanks to an education programme on blended whiskies.

Against overall declines of blended whiskies, in the on-trade it has grown 14.8% by volume and 20% by value. In the off-trade it has grown by 6.6% in volume and 9.1% by value, according to CGA and Nielsen MAT figures.

The Pernod Ricard-owned brand believes there is "untapped" potential for blended Scotch whiskies, particularly at the more premium end.

In the on-trade, the premium blended whisky segment, with an average price of £15.56, is in slight decline, with consumer knowledge low. The brand sees the on-trade as the best forum to grown awareness of blended whiskies and Chivas Regal. With this in mind it created the Art of Blending tastings, which have been running for the past year. It has four trained ambassadors and plans to offer over 100 more tastings in 2014, educating both trade and consumers.

The company says that in the off-trade globally the premium end of the blended whisky category is the largest segment, but in the UK the more standard end has proved dominant. But it says that standard blends are in decline and the trend for premiumisation is growing, suggesting the time is right to see growth.

Chivas has been working to try and address a "knowledge gap" around blended whiskies in the off-trade and has been using "educational point of purchase material" and highlighting the category through the retailers' own media outlets to try and combat this.

Ian Peart, on-trade channel director for spirits, at Pernod Ricard UK said: "There are clear challenges around demystifying the blended whisky category but consumer demand for these premium offerings is clear. If we can support the trade through these education programmes, we can look to amplify the potential of the category and really drive an impact on sales. We have only just begun to scratch the surface of premium blended whisky in the UK, but looking at the rest of the globe, it is the category we should be looking at to drive growth and maximise sales potential."

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