Leading spirits and wine group Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine (UK) Ltd (ADUK) has confirmed that Scantrack data covering the Multiple Grocers for the eight-week period to 28th December shows new comers Malibu and Tia Lusso both performing exceptionally well and ahead of all expectations.

In its first Christmas with ADUK Malibu Caribbean white rum with coconut was the best performing Specialty/Liqueurs brand with volume growth of +21% compared with the same period last year. Outperforming the market, which grew by +19.5%, Malibu's performance was only tracked by Tia Maria Liqueur Spirit, which saw 70cl volumes by +12.66% over the same period. Core competitor brands failed to deliver any significant growth.

Launched in May 2002 ADUK has high expectations of its premium cream liqueur brand Tia Lusso. Supported by a £11 million pound investment plan in its first year that included national TV advertising and an extensive pre Christmas sampling programme that reached over 300,000 target consumers Tia Lusso has now established itself as the UK's number two cream liqueur brand within multiple grocers in both volume and value terms.

"Tia Lusso and Malibu really have been star performers this year" says Cathryn Sleight Marketing Director at ADUK. "In a very short space of time Tia Lusso has become a major player in the market with double the market share by value of its nearest rival brand over the pre-Christmas period. The cream liqueur category itself grew by +30% over the eight weeks and we estimate that 34% of this growth is down to Tia Lusso".

"Like Tia Lusso, Malibu was also a star performer in its first Christmas with us. Litre bottles performed exceptionally well due to new distribution gains and extensive off shelf displays which gave Malibu a significant in-store presence. Of the three brands driving volume growth across the cream and non-cream liqueur category two belong to Allied Domecq - Tia Lusso and Malibu. Include Tia Maria and ADUK are the dominant category player with three of the top five brands in its ownership," continues Sleight.

In the more traditional spirits categories ADUK also faired well. Courvoisier Cognac, the UK’s number one brand outperformed both the market and its nearest competitor with +10.8% volume & 9.33% value growth. Market share also grew by +2.90% over the eight-week period, whilst the No. 2 brand's market share declined by over 3%!

In the blended whisky category, which grew by +6.10%, Teachers's Scotch Whisky grew both volume and value over the period. Of particular merit was Teachers’s 70cl, which grew volume and value by nearly +50% and +44% respectively. Of the top three blended whisky brands – accounting for nearly 50% of total sales - Teachers's was the second best performing brand.

Other star performers in the ADUK portfolio included higher margin brands Laphroaig Cask strength which grew by +13.7% and Cockburn's LBV which in only its second Christmas grew by +127% making it the number four brand in the LBV market over the eight week period and a real contender for the number three slot moving forward.

"All the evidence points to a successful Christmas for ADUK with strong performances particularly from our cream and speciality liqueur brands. What is rewarding is the way that we have been able to drive volume growth whilst retaining retailer and producer margins. This is a great testament to the hard work, focus and commitment from the ADUK team and a clear reflection of the strong relationship we have with our key retail partners" concludes Sleight.

~Ends~

Notes:

1. Malibu is the registered trademark of Allied Domecq Spirits USA
2. Tia Lusso, Courvoisier, Laphroaig, Teacher’s and Cockburn’s are registered trademark of Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine Ltd.
3. Tia Maria is the registered trademark of Tia Maria Ltd
4. Data source: A.C. Nielsen Scantrack for the period ending 28th December 2002. All figures are compared to the same period last year.