The Co-op Group has recruited its members to steer its new white wine from the planning stage to store shelves.
The move, part of the retailer’s Member Voice initiative, follows the launch of three new beers, with the label notes written by members.
And last year the Group gave six bottles of wine to 100 members in Holmfirth so they could host a tasting event, a move which boosted sales in the town’s store.
Now members will select a white wine for launch by the Group in October – making decisions over grape variety, tasting notes, name and label design.
It’s the first time a retailer has used such a method to launch a new project.
Joseph Turner, wine buyer at the Group, said: “Co-op performance in white wine is showing significant growth ahead of the market and is an area of the category we are trying to add a little excitement to.
“The member wine initiative brings a bit of fun to the wine category and we’re really excited to see what our members come up with.
“It’s really exciting to allow consumers to be involved in the decision making and we are eager to see what the product will look like when it launches later in the year.”
This month, members will pick a name for the wine, with label designs created in May and voted on in June.
Mark Robinson-Field, Member Voice lead at the Group, said: “We believe the best people to talk about our products are our members. And this wine project is just one of the ways in which members are working with us to help develop great products and services.
“By engaging our member base of 5 million, we’re demonstrating that there are major benefits to being a Co-op member. No other retailer has this member base to call on and we believe that having members play an active role in what is on our shelves is important.”
