Case Studies Alcohol Diageo
Diageo leads Whisky across Europe. In Frankfurt, Johnnie Walker sat unbranded below eye level.
A Shelftrak audit benchmarked Diageo’s share of the Whisk(e)y category across all three Frankfurt Airport stores against total Europe — and found gaps in every terminal and every sub-category, right down to individual facings.
- Client
- Diageo
- Category
- Whisk(e)y
- Scope
- Frankfurt Airport, 3 stores
- Data
- Shelftrak audit, Aug 2024
The brief
Break down one airport, store by store, and measure it against Europe.
Diageo wanted to know how its Whisk(e)y portfolio was performing at Frankfurt, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, using total Europe as the benchmark.
That meant measuring share of space at every level — total alcohol, total Whisk(e)y, Blended Scotch and Single Malts — and then benchmarking Johnnie Walker’s space, facings and positioning against Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Dewar’s and Royal Salute.
Shelftrak audited all three stores: T1 Z, T1 A and T2. None of them reached the European benchmark on any measure.
What the audit found
0%
below the European average share of Whisk(e)y space across Frankfurt Airport
0%
below the European average share of Blended Scotch for Johnnie Walker
0%
below the European average share of Single Malts for Diageo in Frankfurt T2
Finding 01
Frankfurt trails Europe at every level of the category.
Across Europe, Diageo holds 30% of Blended Scotch space and the UK proves it can hold nearly 40%. Frankfurt gives it under 19%. The same pattern repeats for total alcohol, total Whisk(e)y and Single Malts — this is not one weak fixture, it is a whole-airport gap.
Finding 02
No Frankfurt store reaches the European benchmark for Blends.
T1 Z is the weakest at half the European average. T1 A and T2 sit above the Frankfurt average but are still 32% and 27% short of Europe. Johnnie Walker’s own share of Blends follows the same pattern in each store.
Finding 03
Chivas Regal out-spaces Johnnie Walker in every terminal.
In T1 Z, Chivas holds twice Johnnie Walker’s share of Blends. In T1 A, Ballantine’s does too — at 162% above its own European average. The category leader is third on the fixture.
JW = Johnnie Walker · Ballant. = Ballantine’s · R. Salute = Royal Salute · saffron = Diageo brand
Inside the store — Frankfurt T1 Z
Unbranded. Below eye level. Second-fewest facings on the fixture.
The audit photos tell the story the percentages can’t. Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal both have branded fixtures at eye level. Johnnie Walker’s space is unbranded and sits below them, with 2.6 facings per SKU — the second-lowest of the key Blend brands.
The contrast with a well-executed store is stark: in Heathrow T3, Johnnie Walker runs at 12.2 facings per SKU and 1.4 linear metres per SKU. Frankfurt T1 Z gives it 0.27 metres.
Shelftrak audit photos — Frankfurt T1 Z
For comparison, Johnnie Walker in LHR T3: 12.2 facings per SKU · 1.4 m per SKU
The recommendations
What the audit told Diageo to do next
01
Close the gap to the European average
Diageo holds 30% of Blended Scotch space across Europe and under 19% in Frankfurt. Moving each terminal towards the brand’s own average is a measurable space and assortment gain.
02
Rebuild the position against the other Blends
Chivas Regal out-spaces Johnnie Walker in every Frankfurt store, and Ballantine’s sits 162% above its own European average in T1 A. The audit gives Diageo the evidence to reset the competitive position in-store.
03
Lead the Whisk(e)y category review
Diageo is under-represented across total alcohol, Whisk(e)y, Blends and Malts alike. The data supports Diageo advising Heinemann on a full Whisk(e)y category development plan for the airport.
Take this case study with you
The full Diageo Frankfurt study as a PDF — charts, audit photos and findings. PDF · 1.8 MB
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