Supplier spotlight: CUB

Better together

The CUB Account Team shares how they have built a strong partnership with Endeavour Group, keeping the customer at the heart of everything.

Supplier of the Year Awards 2021 Account Team of the Year

Q1. Winning Account Team of the Year shows there is a deep partnership with our Endeavour team. Can you share how you built this partnership?

Our partnership with Endeavour Group has been built upon a foundation of trust and mutuality, with an overarching focus on the Beer category, our customers and Beer consumers.

A few years ago, we reflected on the nature of our existing relationship with Endeavour Group and the potential to deliver more for both of our businesses. This highlighted the need to redefine the way we engaged with Endeavour Group as a strategic customer. By addressing the fundamentals and understanding our individual and collective business ambitions, we were able to identify a clear north star tied to delivering great outcomes for the category and customers. The teams involved in bringing this partnership to life have been so important along the way. The Endeavour Group team members that we have worked tirelessly with over the last few years have come to the table with a real desire to grow and deliver more for their customers, whilst always being highly engaged and supportive with us as a key Supplier within the category. The engagement has been cross functional across both businesses which has been a game changer in enabling the outcomes we have achieved together - from CUB sales, marketing, category, supply and innovation teams to the Endeavour merchandise, category, insights, marketing and store operations teams.

“There was a buzz around the office when the announcement was made.”

“We are working closely with

Endeavour who have the goal to

‘make beer cool again’.”

Q2. How has collaboration and partnering with Endeavour contributed to CUB providing a great Beer experience for our customers?

Collaboration with Endeavour Group has been a key ingredient in enabling us to deliver great Beer experiences for customers.

Across the last year, our joint approach of putting consumers at the heart of everything we do has also played heavily into our innovation plans and the way in which we go to market across BWS, Dan Murphy’s and Jimmy Brings – the most recent and exciting example of which is the Fruity Beer launch via our Sungazer and Empire brands. It’s an entirely new sub-category of flavoured Beer that launched in BWS and Dan Murphy’s in September. Through our partnership with Endeavour Group, we identified an opportunity within the category for a flavour-forward, less ‘beery’ Beer to feature within the repertoire of customers that are increasingly looking for more discovery. We are working closely with Endeavour who have the goal to ‘make beer cool again’ and we are proud to say we think we’re on the way to achieving this. Whilst the launch is in its infancy, we are confident it will appeal to Beer and non-Beer customers alike!

Q3. What have been some of your highlights and achievements working with

Endeavour?

Winning the inaugural Endeavour Group Account Team of the Year award was certainly a big achievement. It was fantastic to be recognised as a team, particularly coming out of some challenging years navigating through COVID-19, and to be able to celebrate the award on the night with the Endeavour Group teams that have been on the journey with us. Outside of this, the people that we work with day-to-day and who help to bring our trading relationship to life are a real highlight. We’ve been privileged to work with some great individuals and teams across the Endeavour business – starting with the Beer Merchandise team, but extending across the organisation into Marketing, Replenishment and Operations to name a few.

Q4. Can you tell us what the next 12 months look like for CUB - what is exciting you?

CUB has an exciting year ahead, with a real focus on continuing to provide great offers across our much-loved Mainstream and Craft brands, whilst also cultivating exciting new beverages for our customers and consumers. We know that customers who shop and consume Beer are always on the lookout for new news – and our innovation agenda will look to meet their increasingly evolving needs. Indeed, innovation is at the heart of everything that CUB and Asahi Beverages do. In the coming months we will also look to nurture and grow our Fruity Beer brands – Sungazer and Empire – through the key summer trading period, as well as harnessing the quality and imagination that our Craft partners such as Balter, Pirate Life, 4 Pines, Matilda Bay, Green Beacon and Mountain Goat can bring to the table. Importantly, we will also work to ensure that our most loved brands – the likes of Victoria Bitter, Great Northern and Carlton Dry – continue to remain relevant and exciting for customers each and every day.

“To be recognised by one of our key strategic partners was in many ways a validation of the approach we have sought to apply across our business.”

Q5. What does winning the Account Team of the Year mean to CUB?

This meant a lot to our team. But importantly it also meant an enormous amount to the broader CUB and Asahi Beverages businesses. To be recognised by one of our key strategic partners was in many ways a validation of the approach we have sought to apply across our business, which puts our customers and consumers at the core of the way we do business. For the support teams that help to elevate the way in which we partner with Endeavour – be it Category, Marketing, Finance or Supply – this award was an acknowledgement of the work they do too, so there was a buzz around the office when the announcement was made.

But we don’t rest on our laurels. There is a strong desire to continue and elevate the strong partnership we have with Endeavour Group, and we hope to be in the mix for consideration every year!