HITTING THE ROAD: Boost Energy founder and Managing Director Simon Gray (right) and Gareth Hardy of Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI) are stocking up for a province-wide road trip to celebrate 15 years in Northern Ireland with local retailers.
BOOST Energy drink is hitting the road this week to celebrate 15 years in Northern Ireland with local independent retailers.
Since Boost first hit the shelves here in 2003, it has enjoyed phenomenal success in the local market which is reflected by the fact that the brand, incredibly, now occupies the top three positions in the convenience sector’s soft drink sales charts*.
To recognise the huge role that Northern Ireland’s independent retailers have played in this success, Boost founder and Managing Director Simon Gray and a team of staff will be embarking on a province-wide road trip for two days on November 1st and 2nd to pay a surprise visit to stores around the province.
The ‘We Love Local’ road trip takes its name from the company’s ethos to deal only with the independent retail sector and not with the large multinational supermarket chains – and every store that receives a visit will be given the chance to win free stock – and a short break on the Causeway Coast – if they can answer some salient questions about the brand in Northern Ireland.
Boost Energy founder Simon Gray explained: “The success of Boost has been nothing short of amazing since we launched here in 2003 so it’s very important for us to celebrate our 15th birthday with the people that have helped us reach the remarkable position we’re in – with the three top selling SKUs in the province.
“Northern Ireland is a very important market for us and our success here shows that our strategy of selling Boost exclusively in local independent retail stores and not the big supermarket chains has been the right one.
“We are committed to supporting the local home-grown independent retailers who have helped make Boost the huge success in Northern Ireland that it is today, which is why we’re heading out on the road to meet with as many retailers as we can over two days at the start of November,” he added.
“We’re going to have lots of fun along the way and we can’t wait to say thank you to store staff and give them a chance to win some free stock, as well as an opportunity to win a short break on the beautiful Causeway Coast – in recognition of our new special edition Sugar Free can design which is exclusively available in Northern Ireland until the end of the year,” concluded Simon.
County Antrim-based company Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI) has played an important role in the Boost success story, providing warehousing, distribution, van sales and key account management across all the major symbol, cash & carry and delivered wholesalers within the NI convenience and food service sector.
HSMNI Managing Director Gareth Hardy said: “We’ve been working with Boost since it first arrived in Northern Ireland 15 years ago, and to see the brand occupy the top three soft drink sales positions in the convenience sector is fantastic news not just for us but for wholesalers, retailers and consumers who all love the brand.
“So we’re looking forward to our ‘We Love Local’ road trip which will give us a great opportunity to meet with our retail partners across Northern Ireland and to thank them for helping us to collectively grow the brand across Northern Ireland,” he added.
The ‘We Love Local’ Road Trip will take place across Northern Ireland on Thursday November 1 and Friday November 2. Retailers interested in winning some ‘on the spot’ prizes should brush up on their Boost facts by visiting www.boostdrinks.com/trade/.
To further support retailers in Northern Ireland, Boost held a demonstration day at Musgraves in Belfast on Thursday October 18.
The day centred around the company’s new 15 year Special Edition 250ml Sugar Free can which has been designed exclusively for the NI market by a local student.
As well as a special ‘one day only’ sales deal, the Boost team were on hand on the day to advise retailers on how to attract more customers to shelves and give away a range of Boost branded goodies, including beanie hats and keyrings.
The convenience sector in Northern Ireland covers more than 1,100 independent retail stores, excluding the large multinational supermarket chains, and the top selling soft drink SKU by some distance is the original Boost Energy 250ml can which retails at 49p.
In second and third positions respectively are the Boost Energy Red Berry 250ml can – a flavour that is exclusive to the Northern Ireland market – and the Boost Energy Sugar Free 250ml can.
Boost Energy was established in 2001 after founder and MD Simon Gray saw the opportunity to offer consumers a great quality energy drink at a fraction of the price of other brands at that time.
Two years later in 2003, Boost Energy was launched in NI and now, 15 years later, the company owns the province’s top three selling soft drinks within the independent convenience channel.
* Source: IRI Marketplace Data Symbols and Independents 52 weeks unit sales to 12th August 2018
