FEATURE
BIG NIGHT IN
22 ASIAN TRADER 19 SEPTEMBER 2025
shopping list, while for retailers,
the BNI can be a great opportunity
to capitalise on cross-category
spending and impulse purchases.
EBF offers an extensive
portfolio of meal solutions,
including the Master Cook, S&B
(Japanese), Thai Taste, Malay
Taste and Nem Viet meal kits and
the new heat & eat taco fillers
from Pekis- all created for
quick, flavourful, and
authentic meal preparation
at home.
And when it comes to
desserts and ice cream, it is
handheld multipacks that
are proving to be the real
driver of growth both in
warmer and winter
months.
Kerry Cavanaugh,
general manager at Mars
Drinks & Treats, says,
“Multipacks are the ideal
treat to keep at home in the
freezer for BNI occasions.
“Interestingly, when we have
analysed Co-op sales data, we
have seen that the purchase of ice
cream in convenience overtrades
on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday
during the late afternoon and
early evening hours, which would
support the idea that more
consumers are increasingly
purchasing handheld multipacks
for at home consumption.
From fizz to fizzed
Whether it’s a cola for the kids,
juices for the young, craft beer for
the adults, or a mocktail in
between, drinks define the
rhythm of every big night.
Health is on top of the mind on
the shoppers so it is always better
to stock accordingly.
According to George Tuck,
Head of Sales – Impulse, Tropi
cana, shoppers are actively
searching for healthier alterna
tives in the soft drink category,
where 58 per cent of
consumers say that
they want to see
healthier soft drinks in
retailers’ ranges.
This is one of the
biggest reasons why
Tropicana is so
valuable for the Big
Night In occasion.
Made from pure,
not-from-concen
trate fruit juice of
natural origin, Tropicana’s range
of bestselling SKUs includes
Smooth Orange, Orange with Bits
and Orchard Apple in 850ml
take-home cartons, as well as its
single-serve range in Smooth
Orange and Orchard Apple.
Tropicana Sparkling is also a hit
with health-conscious shoppers.
And it’s not just consumers
that benefit from health
benefits. For convenience
retailers, fruit juice shoppers
are a valuable demographic
as fruit juice shoppers
spend, on average, 25 per
cent more per shop.
And then it comes to
alcohol and alcoholic
drinks, where all the fuss
about Big Night In is.
Afterall, no night becomes
big if the drinks were not
up to the mark.
Shoppers want variety
in this aisle, and it is best to
keep this section accordingly in
terms of format, type and price
points.
Robert Hobart, Marketing
Director, Asahi UK, believes
retailers should encourage
shoppers to trade up to more
premium versions of “Big Night
In” purchases.
Asahi UK is supporting
retailers in driving extra sales and
profits from the premium lager
segment with a raft of engaging
promotions.
Moving to the cider category,
which in general has seen a slight
decline, though Aston Manor is
growing ahead of the category,
emerging as the fastest growing
cider supplier in the convenience
channel.
Aston Manor brands are
performing well, with Knights
Cider, Frosty Jack’s and Crump
ton Oaks all in the top 10 brands in
the convenience channel.
Natalie Marshall, Trade
Marketing Manager at
Aston Manor Cider,
says, “With apple
flavoured cider
continuing to
dominate the cider
category, Knights
Cider is a premium
quality cider crafted
by our master cider
maker and is the
number one cider
product in the
convenience channel.”
It wouldn’t be any exaggera
tion to say that craft beer is the
king of Big Night Ins.
BrewDog continues to see
success with mixed multi-pack
SKUs. Perfect for sharing and
trialling different styles, these
packs are ideal for the Big Night In
occasion.
Georgia Ladbrook, Customer
Marketing Manager - Impulse,
says, “Shoppers find products
through brand signposting, so it is
important to group alcohol
products by segment and then
brand using well-known brands to
highlight the category.”
Punk IPA and Hazy Jane New
England IPA 4-can multipacks
continue to see a lot of love from
shoppers for their bold, tropical
flavours that fit well with summer
vibes.
Fruit beers are continuing to
grow in popularity, helping to
attract new customers and
offering incrementality to the
category. Fruit Burst IPA (4.4%
ABV) is a session-able modern
pale ale bursting with tropical,
passionfruit and berry notes.
Crafted with bold hops for a
perfectly balanced and accessible
brew, available now exclusively to
the Co-op Group.
As the seasons shift and
consumers start to socialise more
indoors, the Big Night In trend has
been gathering momentum, but
this year we’ll see it evolve into a
more premium occasion.
Faustino, one of Spain’s
best-known wine brands, is
perfectly positioned to meet this
shift.
Sara Moore, Account Manager
for Faustino at Amber Beverage,
vouches for Faustino Gran
Reserva, the world’s best-selling
Gran Reserva Rioja and IWSC
Gold medal winner, as a go-to for
dinner parties and more elevated
hosting moments.
Not every Big Night In needs
an occasion, but shoppers still
Why think smart
Matt Smith from Tayto explains
the importance of the correct
way to merchandise
Shoppers are time and cash poor, so merchandising should be
focused on helping them make quick decisions.
Placing snacks with other categories on the same mission can
increase basket size.
At convenience stores, where PMP snacks account for the
majority of snacks sales, merchandising by price-point makes
it easier to shop.
Pork scratchings go perfectly with beer (and many other
drinks) and so placing them next to BWS is a great way to
capture incremental impulse sales.
Displaying pork scratchings prominently will drive incremental
sales since they are not “cupboard fill” and are much more
likely to be an impulse purchase.