• Product: Rum Stripe by Red Stripe
• Supplier: Heineken UK
• ABV: 7.5%
• RRP: £2.75
• Available: now

Heineken UK is expanding the Red Stripe brand into the ready-to-drink (RTD) category with the launch of the Rum Stripe by Red Stripe range.

The range (7.5% ABV) is launching in Rum Punch, Cherry & Cranberry and Pineapple & Coconut varieties.

Its launch follows on from releases in Jamaica and the USA last year, and comes as the supplier looks to capitalise on the popularity of Red Stripe in convenience (worth £25.5m) with the RTD category, which is worth £181m in convenience and growing by 5.4% year on year.

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Katie Park, head of beyond beer at Heineken UK, said: “By investing in categories outside of traditional beer & cider, we can leverage the strength of our popular brands to introduce innovative drinks that consumers can trust will deliver on quality. From a shopper perspective, seeing renowned brands move into new formats naturally inspires curiosity and excitement which, in turn, will help our retailer partners grow their sales and drive footfall.”

The supplier will support the launch with sampling and activity at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, which will include branded decorations and PoS for local convenience stores.

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