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Rum is the upcoming spirit ….
In C Stores, vodka has always been the top spirit followed by whisky, but in recent years, gin – which had once been the staple only for those who drank martinis (whether shaken or stirred) – found a new popularity. The possibility of not just a varied selection of botanicals, but a new interest in fruit flavoured gin, has meant gin sales have exceeded most expectations.
Now though, it seems that consumers are turning towards rum as their interest in gin wanes. Rum's share of total spirit turnover in c-stores has increased over the last 3 years. Vodka and whisky remain number 1 & 2 in the rankings, but rum has moved from 5th to 3rd position.
Like many spirits, rum sales increased strongly at the start of the pandemic. Sales have remained at a much higher level than pre-pandemic despite restrictions easing.
| Nov 18 | Nov 19 | Nov 20 | Oct 21 | |
| 6.1% | 6.8% | 8.0% | 8.7% | |
Spiced rum is driving total rum growth. It always had the largest value share of rum but this is growing and now makes up almost 60% of rum sales. There are over 70 spiced rum brands with 8 which sell in 100 or more stores.
| Nov 18 | Nov 19 | Nov 20 | Oct 21 | ||
| Spiced | 52.3% | 55.0% | 56.8% | 59.8% | |
| White | 34.3% | 33.5% | 31.3% | 31.1% | |
| Dark | 13.4% | 11.5% | 9.5% | 8.2% | |
| Flavoured | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.4% | 0.9% | |
The sweetness of rum compared to gin might help drive sales as it becomes the fashionable choice. Remember that cola makes a great add-on sale for spiced or regular rum, flavoured rum tends to mix better with lemonade. To mix an entire 70cl bottle of rum with a soft mixer takes roughly two litre sized bottles of mixer – that’s useful information for customers planning a party!
Consider adding a couple of spiced options to your range for optimum sales this Christmas.