Drakes Supermarkets’ Post

Exciting news in the world of cider! Westons Cider has just dropped their annual Cider Report, giving us - and most importantly their valued on and off trade customers - the scoop on what's hot, and what's not, for the year ahead. Curious for some insider insights?... 🍎Apple crafted ciders are leading the charge, both on and off the shelves. 📈Premiumisation is on the rise as consumers opt for higher-quality options. ⚽Cider and sports go hand in hand - with the Euros and Olympics as key dates for the diary. Our task? Driving downloads of this valuable resource among retailers, publicans, and bar owners. Through media partnerships, ads, and editorial coverage, we succeeded in securing hundreds of downloads from key industry decision-makers within the first 24 hours alone. Cheers to that!

The fourth category is blurring the line between beer and wine. It’s not about whether the product is wine or malt-based; it’s about maximizing profit in the refrigerated section. Retailers now focus on revenue generated rather than the type of alcohol in the product. Cold beverages drive sales and contribute to long-term profitability for companies, regardless of whether they are malt or wine-based.

It is Red Cup Day. I like how Starbucks helps us with a holiday timeline - as if to say.... OK folks - Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the December holidays will be here in NO time. I also like joy - don't you? They give out cups to celebrate the start of the holiday season AND what I appreciate most is that you can reuse your cup next time you're at a store and get both "stars" and 10 cents off a purchase through the holidays because they are also working to reduce waste by 50% by 2030. So it's not just a red cup. What's your red cup? Great marketing win, good for us loyal customers, and good for the environment. It is a triple win. I don't aways rave about my long time coffee provider but today I do. Some said there were long lines, but not that I saw. #marketingwin #whenretailworks

DID COCA-COLA JUST KILL CHRISTMAS? 😵 The Coca-Cola Company has uncapped a frosty firestorm this holiday season with an AI-generated twist on its classic 1995 Christmas ad. The original—featuring the legendary red truck cruising through snow-dusted landscapes, sprinkling festive cheer—became the ultimate symbol of Christmas magic 🎄 But this reboot? It's got folks fizzing over with controversy. Knocked together in just days by artificial intelligence, the ad has fans divided. While some tech enthusiasts are calling it a “modern marvel,” critics are crying foul, claiming it’s cold, soulless, and “ruins the holiday spirit.” Is this a bold step forward, or a step too far? 🤔 Tell us what you think!

Some interesting echoes of Sir John Hegarty's MAD//FEST LONDON talk yesterday in Sir Martin Sorrell's talk today. Asked what he’d recommend to youngsters joining the industry Sir Martin said learn Chinese, Spanish and coding – not just because they’re useful skills, but because it’ll exercise your brain in a way that we don’t do enough of now. Whilst Sir Martin Sorrell also talked about trying tech fast, because it will change faster than you think, Rory Sutherland talked about what slow AI might look like. Sometimes we need to take time to do things, we need to put in the right amount of effort to achieve what we need to. Being more efficient can be easy to achieve, being more effective is often much harder. Thanks MAD//FEST – lots of great thinking to make the little grey cells fire up – now to slowly digest and think about the learnings to take forward.

Parades & frestvals promote community spirt & boost restaurants sales. Unfortunately there is no evidence they stimulate store sales, the event day will curb their business, frequently becoming their slowest day of the year. Looking for case studies of postive retail sales during festivals. Harbor Springs, Mich. July 4th celebration, my favorite. My book explores this misunstood trend.

SellerSlice is touching down in Chicago tomorrow for #SCAevent #SCAcoffeeexpo We are excited to share the good news about what's coming for the #coffeeindustry My calendar link is in the comments below if you would like to set a meeting and learn more about the power of #amazonadvertising See you soon! #buildingbusiness

The Fall Season is just getting started. New events along with Scarowinds. Best of all, it is all included with one ticket! Let’s talk about how we can help you provide fun to your employees. #carowinds #sixflagsentertainment #fallseasonfun #employeeoutings Libba.barrineau@carowinds.com

Attention Trend Spotters, Food/Bev Marketers & Indie Brand Folks: Foxtrot Market is shutting down today. Along with PopUp Grocer, Dimes and a few others, Foxtrot was a go-to place to see the trends and support new brands. Is Erewhon the only game in town? Is Faire the new go-to? Since Erewhon is an OG - this feels like the end of era to me. https://lnkd.in/gf_ygcz6

Ever tried putting together a large alcohol order for an event? It’s enough to drive most people to drink 😯 The questions start piling up: • What’s the proper ratio between bottles to people? • What's the right mix of wine and spirits? • Will we have enough variety to please everyone? • What if we run out... or worse, overorder? But here's the thing: You don't have to navigate this alone 🙅♂️ At Midwood Wine Merchants, we don’t just sell bottles. We’re your personal drink merchants. We’ll: • Curate the perfect selection for your crowd • Calculate quantities (no lifetime supply of rosé, promise) • Suggest crowd-pleasers and unique options • Handle local delivery if needed From intimate gatherings to corporate events and large simchas, we've got you covered 👊 No more guesswork. No more stress. Just great drinks and happy guests 😁 Have you ever planned an event? What was the biggest challenge? P.S. Who do we talk to at Rivian about actually getting a delivery van like this 😆