Harveys

Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine (UK) Ltd (ADUK) has announced the relaunch of Harveys Pale Cream Sherry and Harveys Amontillado Sherry, formerly known as Harveys Club Classic, as part of a realignment programme behind the world’s leading sherry brand.

Spearheaded by the introduction of stylish new livery, the relaunch has been designed to leverage the inherent value and high consumer recognition of Harveys Bristol Cream whilst creating greater synergy across the range.

Using the same instantly-recognisable bottle shape and design of Harveys Bristol Cream, ADUK has given the range a more modern, sleek feel with label details highlighting the prestige cues associated with the brand. They also give clearer guidance to consumers as to the style of sherry in the bottle. The Harveys brand name is also given greater emphasis.

Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry will remain in its iconic Bristol Blue glass, whilst Harveys Pale Cream Sherry will be bottled in green and Harveys Amontillado Sherry - the renamed Harveys Club Classic - in amber to create instant shelf standout. All three wines will utilise a new back label giving clear serving and food pairing suggestions.

Rosie Kent, Senior Brand Manager for Harveys at ADUK, comments, “We are investing over £1m behind this relaunch, following extensive consumer research which shows that despite the renewed media interest and vigour surrounding the category in the UK, consumers do not yet fully engage with or understand sherry. The different styles within the category are baffling to many of the UK’s 6 million sherry drinkers, and it is clear that brand leader Harveys is best placed to take the sherry revival to the next stage and drive category growth through consumer activity.”

The packaging has itself been extensively tested in consumer research, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback. Consumers like the clarity, brevity, simplicity and aesthetic appeal of Harveys new look. It is felt to be more contemporary and the increased use of gold reinforces the premium look of the range. The different coloured glass enables easy identification of style and the collectability and ‘giftability’ of the new range have proved to be highly motivating: “I’d like the set…they’d look good in my cupboard” and “Harveys have a sherry whatever your taste”.

The re-launch will be supported by a three month partnership with Country Living magazine that includes in-title sponsorship, advertorials, competitions and an off trade joint promotion. Additional consumer and trade PR activity will continue to create a buzz around sherry, and a Harveys education programme for both on and off trade staff has been created to help them talk more knowledgeably to consumers about the different styles of sherry. To maximise in store impact, special neck collars, shippers and shelf strips have been designed to increase rate of sale and cross-style trial.

Kent says, “The UK sherry market is worth over £111m in the off trade alone and is dominated by cream sherries which account for 69% of all sales*. Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry was instrumental in driving the category back into growth during 2002 and 2003 via our ‘over ice’ strategy. This £1 million relaunch of the Harveys range offers retailers and licensees the opportunity to drive further volumes and increase profits on the back of Harveys Bristol Cream and provides a platform for building Harveys Pale Cream Sherry and re-energising Harveys medium offering.”

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* Cream/sweet sherries account for 38.8% of volume sales and pale cream account for 30% of volume sales (AC Nielsen off trade audit November/ December 2003 MAT)

Notes to editors

Harveys® and Harveys® Bristol Cream® Sherry are registered trademarks of Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine Ltd.

For further information, please contact Bryony Wright at Jefferson Hunt:
Tel: 0117 909 1834/ 07974 741764 or Email: bryony@jeffersonhunt.co.uk

© Copyright 2005 Jefferson Hunt Communication Consultants

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