DULLED WINE
A sobering thought as booze-free drinks fly off the shelves
CHRISTMAS will be less boozy this year as sales of low and no-alcohol drinks have boomed this year.
Take home sales of “adult” soft drinks have gone up 18.5% to £714million over the last year.
This includes a 64.1% rise in sales of “low and no” alcohol wines, a 24% rise for similar strength beers and a massive 120% for spirits with little or no alcohol in.
All this compares to a 6% increase for fizzy fruit juices and trendy tonics.
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at home but take-home sales of fullstrength beers, wines and spirits only went up by 7.7% in the same period – less than half the rise of soft drinks – said analysts Kantar for The Grocer
They reported: “Adult soft drinks are an essential for the one in two pub and bar cocktail drinkers who are mixing drinks at home.
“But they also go down well with teetotallers and those trying to reduce their drinking for health reasons.” Laura
Willoughby, co-founder of Club Soda, told The Grocer the figures were “a sign of moderation being normalised” and the idea of having a mix of different strengths of drinks in the fridge.
She added: “People are now very conscious that if they have a party or a dinner, they want everyone to feel special so they will put just as much effort into finding a good alcohol-free offer.”
Non-alcoholic versions of boozy tipples are doing well. Gordon’s 0.0 gin has racked up sales of £5.58m in its first year, said The Grocer, while Tanqueray Alcohol Free hit the £1m sale mark in just 10 months.
Strykk, the alcohol-free spirit brand now listed in Tesco, has sold £500,000 worth of its Not Rum, Not Gin and Not Vodka varieties in the six months since they were launched.
Hangovers are also being avoided, as Laura said: “The idea that alcohol-free is for everybody is catching on. Pacing is definitely important to people.”