Sales of low and no-alcohol beer were 20 per cent higher in December than January, shows recent data, suggesting that traditionally the month of abstinence has been overtaken by December in terms of alcohol consumption.
According to a recent report in The Times, supermarket Tesco experienced record demand for alcohol-free beverages in the four weeks running up to Christmas with sales up by more than 15 per cent on the previous year. The demand was largely driven by young Brits.
According to David Albon, a beer and cider buyer at Tesco, quite contrary to five years ago when the main demand for no and low drinks came in ‘dry January’, it is now a trend, especially in young people, to moderate drinking at these key occasions of the year as well.
“It’s a very different picture to what we were seeing, even just five years ago, when the main demand for no and low drinks came in ‘dry January’.”
Tesco confirmed that interest in dry January is still growing, with demand for no and low-alcohol wine particularly strong during the month and sales up 15 per cent. Sales of alcohol-free beer were up 10 per cent and alcohol-free spirits up 5 per cent.
Among the most popular choices from the chain in January were 12-packs of Corona 0.0%, with demand up by more than 250 per cent ,and 10-packs of Guinness 0.0, up by more than 100 per cent.
Tesco says the nation’s changing relationship with booze is seeing sales of alcohol-free drinks increase across every month of the year. It added that the increasing quality of low and no-alcohol alternatives was encouraging consumers to buy in multi-pack sizes rather than single bottles or cans.
Another trend giving momentum to alcohol-free range is "zebra stripping", when people alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on a celebratory night in order not to get too drunk.
In the words of Sarah Holland, a buyer at Waitrose, 2024 has certainly been the year of zebra striping, driven by the wonderful variety of delicious no and low which are available on the market now.
This comes weeks after IWSR data reported similar picture.
The firm stated that the total UK no and low market is expected to have more than doubled in 2024 versus 2023. Preliminary data shows no-alcohol beer grew 20 per cent in 2024 vs 2023 while alcohol-free beer now accounts for more than 2 per cent of total beverage alcohol market sales in the UK, highlighting just how big a part the subcategory is beginning to play in the overall drinks sector.
IWSR added that growth of no-alcohol spirits has slowed, but is expected to have grown +7 per cent in 2024 vs 2023 while sales of low-alcohol wine fell -5 per cent in 2024 vs 2023, no-alcohol wine grew by +8 per cent.
