With over 6.2 million consumers drinking gin in the On-Trade there are no signs that the gin bubble is going to burst¹. Gin continues to boom with sales now worth £1.2 billion² and in the last year alone 134 on-trade gin brands were launched³; this is predominately driven by the flavoured gin category.

Simplifying a booming category

Flavoured gin now accounts for 30% of the total gin category in the on-trade⁴. Although flavours continue to grow the gin category, premiumisation still leads the way as consumers are now drinking less but are willing to spend more on premium serves. With an overcrowded gin market, we must avoid overcomplicating the range for our consumers, but also ensure there is an exciting range on offer. With the latest additions to our gin range taking the total number of SKUs to more than 900, we’ve developed new ways to simplify the category and make the decision of what to stock easier.

While the growing number of gin brands and products in the market offer both licensees and consumers a level of choice never-before-seen, we’ve found in our own comprehensive range reviews just how difficult it can be to pick a selection you can be confident about. To make ranging decisions easier, our latest range is built around a set of ‘Gin Profiles’. These profiles categorise the products in Matthew Clark’s new range into a distinct set of six styles with which to build a range. Segmenting our range into Juniper, Citrus, Spiced, Herbaceous, Floral, and Fruit categories untangles a category that has become increasingly complex and difficult to cut through. We hope our customers will be able to apply the same segments to their own lists and back bar.

Building a balanced range

To help in creating a range using these new profiles, we’ve researched how gin ranges should be structured. By combining our own unrivalled picture of the market, with data from our partners, we’ve been able to produce a solid set of ranging guidelines for our customers. Both the ranging advice and flavour profiles can be found in the new Matthew Clark gin brochure and online across the new in-depth gin area of the Matthew Clark website. While account managers have been equipped with a tool that can provide tailored ranging advice.

We are really proud of our gin range, and it’s amazing to see some exciting new products brought on board. However, when it comes to gin, with distillers opening up across the country and plenty of new product development from the established brands, we firmly believe there is value in adding some simplicity. We hope our customers will enjoy this new way of viewing the category and our stunning new brochure.