Carlton & United Breweries has taken out the Supplier Award for Category Management in 2023. This victory marks the second consecutive year that the brewing giant has received this accolade, following its win in 2022.
The Asahi-owned business was presented the award in front of over 380 attendees at the 2023 Australian Drinks Awards hosted at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth on Thursday night.
The winner of the Category Management Award is chosen according to the results of the annual Advantage Engagement Program. The award recognises the growing significance of category management as a pivotal factor within the retailer-supplier dynamic and its importance in measuring how suppliers are perceived when it comes to retailer engagement.
Each supplier is evaluated according to the way in which it:
- Customises initiatives to help retailers differentiate its business
- Optimises range/assortment
- Drives category growth
- Provides objective insights for category development.
In explaining Carlton & United Breweries success in category management over the past two years, Steve Andrews, Advantage Australia’s Managing Director, said: “Customers recognise Carlton & United Breweries’ delivery of high quality insights, its collaborative approach to category planning and the engagement of retail partners in the development and execution of NPD.”
“This award is acknowledgement of Carlton & United Breweries’ outstanding performance in this area,” said Andrews.
Accepting the award on behalf of Carlton & United Breweries, Daniel Slade, Head of Category Development, thanked the company’s leadership team for putting category growth at the heart of its strategy. He also thanked all the internal stakeholders across sales, shopper marketing, brand marketing, consumer insights and marketing and innovation, as well as his talented category management team.
Slade said: “I’d also like to give a shout out to our insights and service providers because they’re the unsung heroes in this industry. Without their critical analysis, we wouldn’t be able to light the way forward and figure out what to do.”
“And lastly and most importantly, thanks to our retail and on-premise customers for partnering with us to collaborate and bring to life the category initiatives that we have,” he added.
Shopper Intelligence sponsored the Category Management Award for the first time this year.
Simon Ford, Managing Director ANZ, Shopper Intelligence, said: “Successful category management requires collaborative big picture thinking, a deep understanding of shopper desires and behaviours, and executable excellence. When supported by objective and future looking insights, these strongly drive growth and partnership. That’s why Shopper Intelligence is proud to sponsor, for the first time, the 2023 Supplier Award for Category Management.”
The award was presented by Shopper Intelligence’s Australia Client Director, David Shukri, who said following the event: “It was a privilege to be able to reward Carlton & United Breweries for its category management prowess last night in front of so many outstanding liquor businesses.”
“Carlton & United Breweries has a team that thrives on new insights and always pushes hard to understand them, and synthesise them in to ever more compelling category stories. That’s what won them the award again this year and that thirst for knowledge will make them a formidable force in the cat man space from here onwards.”
It was a big night for Carlton & United Breweries with the business receiving a total of eight awards on the night. In addition to the Category Management Award, it won the evening’s most prestigious award of Supplier of the Year which it shared with its sister company, CUB Premium Beverages. It also took home six Brand Awards - four Fan Favourites and two Gaining in Popularity.
Fan Favourite Brand Awards - Carlton & United Breweries
- Beer - Classic: Victoria Bitter
- Beer - Contemporary: Great Northern Original
- Beer - Premium: Corona
- Beer - Non-Alcoholic: Great Northern Zero
Gaining in Popularity - Carlton & United Breweries
- Beer - Classic: Victoria Bitter Xtra VX
- Beer - Craft: Balter Easy Hazy
The Drinks Association congratulates its Category One Member Asahi Beverages and the team who has helped Carlton & United Breweries and CUB Premium Beverages become 2023 Supplier of the Year.
Advantage Australia is a Corporate Partner of the Drinks Association.
The Drinks Association would like to extend its thanks to its generous sponsors for this year’s event.
All the winners from the 2023 Australian Drinks Awards are available here:
