The Endeavour Group is doubling its hard seltzer range across 80 Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores to match the fast-growing sub-category.
Hard seltzers are one of the fastest growing products in the alcoholic market with sales doubling over the past year.
Endeavour Group’s RTD category manager Lance Friedman said the upward trend of seltzers in spring is a strong indicator of the coming summer being the season of seltzers.
“Many customers have tried different brands and flavours of seltzers and fallen in love with them. In the coming months, we expect seltzers to be cemented as the official drink of the Australian summer,” said Friedman.
Friedman added that customers can expect to see a large increase in flavour, base spirits and colour varieties.
“Seltzers have been predominantly vodka-based but we are now seeing for example gin based-seltzers like Wolf Lane Gin Seltzer Mango and many brands are also offering mix pack seltzers with a variety of flavours like Island Fever 12 pack,” he said.
Seltzers have consistently performed well during autumn, winter and spring regardless of it primarily being a drink associated with summer. The category also experiences spikes on warmer days.
“Seltzers is now a bigger RTD sub-category than gin-based premix and will soon be bigger than rum-based premix drinks,” said Friedman.
Seltzers have particularly gained the most traction with the Gen Z and millennial demographic, especially in seaside and metro suburbs.
Dan Murphy’s and BWS primarily stock Australian-made seltzers, with some of the most well received ones being produced in Torquay and Fellr in Sydney.
“We keep seeing a lot of great innovation from Australian producers in the seltzers category, local is important to customers and our business alike, so it has been great to see Seltzers being predominantly locally made and owned,” said Friedman.
Friedman added that Mornington Peninsula, Noosa, Whitsundays and Bondi are the most popular stores for seltzers.
