By Ian Neubauer
A vineyard that temporarily appeared next to one of London’s largest commuter hubs is being credited for phenomenal growth of the McGuigan wine brand in the UK.
Off-premise sales of Australian Vintage’s (AV) McGuigan grew 77 per cent in the UK over the past 12 months as a result of strong distributor and retailer relationship, and an experimental vineyard that was installed next to the Liverpool Street tube station.
The vineyard was visited by more than one million people over a three-day period earlier this month and seen by approximately 100 million television viewers as a result of blanket coverage by UK news providers. It also received extensive coverage on UK radio and print.
The city vineyard concept was first launched in Sydney last November and will be repeated in Melbourne in October.
“We decided we had to create a buzz around the brand and get out and engage with consumers face to face, and that’s precisely what we’ve achieved with the McGuigan City Vineyard,” said AV chief executive, Dane Hudson. “The UK is a key market for Australian Vintage so achieving branded growth is critical.”
AV shares have climbed nearly three percent over the past week and opened this morning on the Australian Stock Exchange at $1.33.