UK retailer Sainsbury’s has launched its pop-up Festive Fizz Bar in London to celebrate sparkling wine and champagne this Christmas.
The temporary bar opened in Pall Mall, in Central London, and will get partygoers in the mood for Christmas, according to Sainsbury’s.
The Festive Fizz Bar showcases a range of five different styles of sparkling wines from the retailer’s Taste the Difference range, served by the glass, alongside a selection of antipasti and charcuterie sharing platters.
Sainsbury’s is forecasting large sales for sparkling wines in the UK this Christmas. It said that 23 December will be known as ‘Sparkling Saturday’, as it expects shoppers to buy almost half a million bottles of fizz in a single day. This period accounts for almost two thirds (65%) of Sainsbury’s annual fizz sales, it said.
“With Christmas Day falling on a Monday, sales are set to ‘pop’, as shoppers do their final preparations for the big day that weekend,” the retailer said.
Affordable Sparkles
Sainsbury's has strongly promoted its Crémant de Loire, which it introduced in November 2016 and marketed as French sparkling wine 'without the champagne price tag'. The retailer said that sales for the crémant rose by 528% in the past year, which has led it to introduce a magnum version in time for the holiday season.
The sparkling wine is made using the same traditional method as champagne, hailing from the chalky soils of Saumur, in the Loire Valley, where the conditions are perfect for producing a distinctive Blanc de Blancs style, it said.
“While champagne sales peak at this time of year, the alternative sparkling-wine market is really booming,” said Elizabeth Newman, head of beers, wines and spirits at Sainsbury’s.
“Prosecco continues to be an area of strong growth for us – our Taste the Difference variety is up 23%, year on year – but its rise has also opened Brits’ eyes to the breadth of sparkling wines out there. From Crémant de Loire to our English sparkling wine, there really is something for every palate and pocket at Sainsbury’s this festive season,” Newman concluded.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
