CGA’s On Premise Measurement (OPM) service, which delivers powerful insights into sales across Canada’s bars, restaurants and other licensed premises, shows cordial sales by value rose by 4.8% year-on-year over the 12 months to mid-July—a significantly higher rate than other spirits like vodka, which managed only a 0.5% increase. Cordials now attract 13.3% of all Spirits sales in Canada’s On Premise, having increased their share by 0.1 percentage points.
However, while cordials have gained a small share of volume within total Spirits in the last 52 weeks, this comes with small declines in total volume (-2.3%). This is largely attributed to declines recognized in Spirit’s largest category Vodka, which is also bringing share gains to other categories such as Whiskey. Positives for the Cordial category point to its importance around seasonality and the categories versatile nature being included in drinks catering to the time of year.
CGA’s On Premise User Survey (OPUS) confirms the relative affluence of cordial consumers. Their average monthly spend in Canada’s On Premise is $207—$26 more than the average spirits drinker. Cordial drinkers are regular visitors to bars and restaurants, with half (50%) drinking out at least weekly—7 percentage points above average.
Further regional analysis shows variations in cordial performance by province. This includes an above-average drop in sales by volume of 5.2% in British Columbia, but a year-on-year increase of 0.4% in Quebec, where cordials have their highest share of total sales.
CGA’s Canada OPM Reports provide expert monthly analysis of drinks sales in the On Premise. Deeper analysis of performance is available by category, channel, period, region and much more, with expert support to help businesses identify trends and create successful strategies.
Mitch Stefani, CGA by NIQ’s client solutions director – Americas, said: “Cordials provide a versatile spirit for operators to include in creative offerings to customers. Across many different studies we’ve conducted, we know that consumers seek fun and attractive drinks while out to build on their experience. Seasonality can play to into the categories favor in a market like Canada where the changing seasons are incredibly influential to operators trading performance.”
Mitch Stefani, CGA by NIQ’s client solutions director – Americas, said: “Cordials provide a versatile spirit for operators to include in creative offerings to customers. Across many different studies we’ve conducted, we know that consumers seek fun and attractive drinks while out to build on their experience. Seasonality can play to into the categories favor in a market like Canada where the changing seasons are incredibly influential to operators trading performance.”
To discover more about CGA by NIQ’s OPM and OPUS solutions, contact Mitch Stefani at mitch.stefani@nielseniq.com or visit https://cgastrategy.com/unlock-the-potential-of-opm
