Wines of Germany has launched a competition offering funding to medium-size retailers in the UK for the promotion of German wines in an effort to reach and engage a new audience of consumers.
The Retailer Partners competition is a continuation of last year’s Retailer Partnership Fund, which was introduced in response to the difficult landscape the wine industry faced during the Coronavirus pandemic. Recipients of the funding in 2020 reported an average volume sales increase of over 450% for German wine during their promotion and, in total, over 14,600 bottles of German wine were sold across the UK as a result of their activities, which ranged from online masterclasses, the creation of diverse mixed cases and engaging social media campaigns. The promotions were not only a success in terms of sales, but also allowed retailers to revamp their German wine range; on average over 13 German wines were added to each retailer’s wine range and will remain as permanent listings owing to increased customer awareness and demand.
Following the success of the Retailer Partnership Fund, the new Retailer Partners competition offers UK wine merchants the opportunity to compete for grants in order to increase promotion of their German wine listings and inspire a new audience of consumers to think and drink German wine.
Nicky Forrest, Director of Wines of Germany UK said, “We are excited to continue working with wine retailers in raising the profile of German wine across the UK. The funding will allow retailers to share their love and enthusiasm for German wines in ways that work best for them, and we are looking forward to hearing their plans.”
HOW TO APPLY
Applications for grants of up to £5,000 can be made at this link until the 1st October 2021. Businesses will need to provide a brief outline of how they would spend the prize money to promote their German wines. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted in October and asked to expand on their plans. Funding for successful applicants can begin from November 2021 and they have until the end of April 2022 to complete their promotional activities.
To ensure a broad range of German wine is represented across all of the promotional campaigns, retailers looking to apply for a grant must stock at least three different German producers and at least eight German wines for the period of the promotion, two of which must be grapes other than Riesling.
