HEINEKEN UK is launching a ‘ripper’ new look for its iconic Classic Lager brand, including Foster’s (3.7% ABV) and Foster’s Proper Shandy (3.0% ABV).
Rolling out across the grocery, wholesale and convenience channels from May, the bonza rebrand pays homage to its roots and playful Aussie charm.
The recognisable but reenergised visual identity for Foster’s aims to reaffirm the brand’s position as a distinctive and confident choice within the Classic Lager category, helping retailers tap into the growing consumer preference for familiar, timeless favourites.
Classic Lager is worth £790m in the Off-Trade accounting for 17 per cent of Lager sales. As consumers continue seeking out high quality beer options at compelling price points, it remains an important category for retailers to consider.
Foster’s is well-placed to help retailers maximise this opportunity – owning a 32.3 per cent share of Classic Lager, and adding £255m to the Off-Trade last year alone.
The fresh design will celebrate everything consumers love about the iconic brew and its heritage, embodying Australian symbols such as the stars on the flag and a red kangaroo, as well as reintroducing the use of the ‘Amber Nectar’ label.
By blending the light amber golden colour with medium malt character and vanilla notes, Foster’s creates a delicate and balanced aroma of fruit hops.
Its new visual identity will appear on packaging across all SKUs in the core Foster’s range, including 4x440ml, 10x440ml and 18x440ml multipacks, as well as Foster’s Proper Shandy (3.0% ABV) – which continues to perform well, generating over £9.3m in value sales in the last 52 weeks.
Last year Foster’s revealed a new sponsorship deal with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), bringing even more buzz to one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. The brand will remain unmissable to consumers in 2025, with visibility at massive events like the legendary World Darts Championship and the Premier League Darts series – creating further excitement for Foster’s during key beer sales occasions.
Zach Jordan, Senior Brand Manager at HEINEKEN UK, comments: “This redesign of Foster’s aims to strengthen the brand’s foothold in the Classic Lager category. First brewed in 1888, the new design blends Foster’s heritage with its position as a laid back, effortless, refreshing choice within today’s UK off-trade market.
"We’re really excited for both retailers and shoppers to engage with our new design and we’re ready to inspire some Aussie flair in stores this summer and beyond.”
Retailers can find out more about Foster’s and how to maximise their beer category sales by visiting HEINEKEN UK’s Star Retailer platform at www.starretailer.co.uk/.
The Star Retailer scheme is an acclaimed, industry-acknowledged loyalty scheme providing beer and cider category guidance tailored for convenience stores. The scheme encourages the development of a profitable and trending beer and cider range and offers rewards which increase based on their level of participation.
