It’s no secret that beer holds a special place in the hearts of drinkers across the UK. If there’s one product that hasn’t lost momentum in the surging popularity for locally made artisan products, it’s craft beer.

By 2020, there were already a record 3,018 breweries across the UK with craft beer sales for the year ending January 2022 rising by 9.9%.

We’re buying more beer in supermarkets, independent shops and off-licenses than we are in pubs. Delis, farm shops, garden centres, petrol stations, they’re all getting in on the act too.

Wine shops are devoting whole sections to craft beer for the first time. Supermarkets like Waitrose, are constantly adding new lines to their existing roster. And for those of us struggling to drag ourselves from the couch, we can buy it for delivery online in just a few clicks.

So if beer is big, and the craft beer market growing – how can you use craft beer supplies to help you sell even more of it?

We look at a few cost-effective packaging for beer products like beer carriers, beer bottles and can transit boxes, presentation bags, and specialist beer tasting kits to find simple ways you can increase your sales of craft beer in-store and online.

“Craft beer taps into our desire for locally made, handcrafted and artisan goods. Because of its authenticity, the local indie retailer is the best-placed retailer to sell it!”

– James Stephens, Krafty Kuts Beer

There’s something special about craft beer which is why it comes with a premium price tag.

Craft beer is like buying a jam or honey made by a maker from your local farmer’s market. It has immediacy.

It feeds into a trend where consumers increasingly seek more connection to the food and drink they consume.

Independent shops are in a unique position to sell it with more authority and authenticity than the multiples.

In the race to find unique gifts for the person who has everything, what better present to inspire customers with than a small range of locally brewed beer gifts? You get brownie points for being thoughtful and double points for shopping local too.

We’ve been printing an increasing number of beer bags for retail customers and breweries alike.

With a host of street markets and speciality food & beer festivals throughout the year, there’s no time like the present to capitalise on the nation’s beer drinking.

Here’s our seriously simple beer plan.

• Pick 6 of your best craft beers
• Offer them in any of our 6-bottle re-usable beer bags
• Buy them plain, or with a pre-printed design, or we can print your logo in just 7 to 10 working days with our personalisation service.

You can charge for the bag or give it away as a freebie when people visit your store.

That depends on whether you’re buying your bags plain from stock with a pre-printed design or personalising them with your own design.

To purchase your own beer bag with your company logo is remarkably affordable with prices starting from just £3.21 a bag based on 1 colour 1 side Ex Vat. For up to date pricing on printing our beer bags visit our Printed Beer & Wine bags section.

They do!

We asked our friends at Wined Up Here what they think – and here’s their response;

“We bought 50 jute beer bags in December and offered them free when people bought 6 beers. When customers came to the counter with 3 or 4 beers, we mentioned the free bag and it was a “no-brainer”. People just upped their purchase to 6 beers. They went away very happy as it made a great gift if they were not keeping the beer for themselves!

We sold out of the bags and bought more in January and the trick still works.

I literally trebled my beer sales in December, compared to the previous year. Yes, craft beer sales are on the rise anyway but by “adding value” it ensures we are riding the crest of the wave. Jute bags are a natural tie-in!”

– Charlotte Dean, Wined Up Here, London @Wineduphere

Gift packaging is not just for gift shops or Christmas, gifting options are now readily available from most retailers all year round, including beer companies, breweries and hamper companies.

To offer your beer selection in a gift, choose a box, add a tag or a ribbon and voila – you have a perfectly presentable beer gift.

Beer gifts are often sold at higher margins as they represent a more luxurious offering, so it can also help you increase revenue. A few samples of ready-made gifts on display can tempt customers to make the most of this add-on service.

Beer boxes can also be printed with your company name or logo with prices starting at just £1.90 a box check our website for up to date pricing on printed beer boxes.

Don’t forget beer boxes have great eCommerce potential, and our range comes with transit outers sold separately for safe delivery through the courier network.

Don’t forget beer boxes have great eCommerce potential, and our range comes with transit outers sold separately for safe delivery through the courier network.

If you’re not already selling a few craft beer accessories at the till, why not?
Beer accessories like craft beer glasses, gift packs and bottle openers are great gifts for birthdays and special occasions, and may just inspire customers to take beer cans and bottles home to friends while they're at it.
You'll certainly shift more bottles and increase repeat purchases too. With industry popular names like Spiegelau, you can't go wrong with a range that’s designed to maximise profits.

Shoppers live for an experience. So why not give them one?

Set up a tasting centre in-store and offer samples or run tasting events when launching new beers.

Galvanised steel cooler buckets look great on a central display table and really capture customers' imagination allowing you to introduce new brews and increase impulse purchases. Even offer samples and run tasting events when launching new beers.

We work closely with several beer and brewery associations to offer you discounts and member benefits across our range of beer packaging and accessories. If you’re a member of either SIBA or BrewBroker, let our team know when placing an order, you could receive up to 10% discount on your order.

For our full range of beer packaging visit wbc.co.uk/beer