Several brewers in the country are accused of cutting the alcohol content — but not the price — in what’s been described as another example of “shrinkflation” as the makers scramble to cut costs amid major changes in taxation.
Coined as “drinkflation” by media, the alleged trend is leaving drinkers to feel short-changed as the brewers cut down alcohol by volume (ABV) allegedly to save on taxes. They have kept the size of their bottles and cans intact, with the same amount of liquid, but slashed the amount of alcohol.
Fosters, Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen, and Bishop’s Finger are among the tipples that are being named whose ABV have been slashed over recent months. While ABV for Foster's, sold by Heineken in the UK, has dropped from four per cent to just 3.7 per cent, the ABV for Old Speckled Hen is down from five per cent to 4.8 per cent.
These reductions may appear small, but they end up generating a tax saving of 2p to 3p on every bottle. Since brewers are pocketing it and keeping the sales price the same, with 7.8 billion pints gulped down each year, a mammoth is being saved here collectively.
Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG) at the University of Sheffield said that a major brewery that reduced its ABV by less than half a percent — 0.35 per cent — could save up to £250 million in government tax payments.
Cost of living crisis has arrived at a tough time for the brewing industry as over the years, there has been a massive drop in alcohol consumption in the country.
According to current figures, inflation in the country is 7.9 per cent in the year to June, down from 8.7 per cent in May. With the price of common goods such as milk, cheese and eggs having risen by over 50 per cent, the prices of beer, wine and spirits have risen by 13.1 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.
In line with most food and drink producers, brewers are also facing significant increases in the cost of raw materials, energy and energy-related products such as glass.
iStock image
And since levy is charged on the percentage of alcohol in a beer, cutting back ABV is an easy and effective way to make the savings.
In the words of Industry consultant Bill Simmons who calls the practice of reducing ABV a “good ploy”, brewers had “got nowhere to go” amid rising prices as they "can’t change the pack size” or bring any other changes in packaging or impose higher prices owing to major push backs from supermarkets.
A spokesperson for Greene King told media that saving two pence per bottle was a way for it to counteract the “significantly increased costs” it is currently facing.
Shepherd Neame, the country’s oldest brewer, slashed the ABV of its bottled Spitfire and Bishops Finger ales to 4.2 and 5.2 per cent respectively, from 4.5 and 5.4 per cent, stating that brewer’s drinks had undergone “extensive testing” to make sure the lower alcohol content did not impact their taste.
While the practice mirrors shrinkflation – stealth cuts in package sizes and portions introduced by food makers- drinkflation is being called its sneakier cousin as it does not result in any noticeable visible change in the shape or size of bottles and cans.
However, it is still a matter of debate if this practice actually amounts to cheating. After all, unlike shrinkflation, consumers are still getting the same amount of beer, it just contains slightly less alcohol which is usually mentioned on the packaging too. Are they even noticing this slight change?
In the words of retailer Girish Jeeva from Glasgow, it is too early to see the effect of the so-called drinkflation or even price increase (due to duty change) on the consumers.
“I think it will take some time before customers start noticing the difference in price or taste or its affect and act accordingly,” he said.
Call of Duty
Alcohol duties were frozen since 2020 due to various reasons including cost of living crisis. While prices continue to rise (albeit at a slightly slower rate), the government has brought-in 10.1 per cent overall rise in alcohol duties.
Additionally, from Aug 1, a major overhaul has been introduced under which alcohol duty is now levied based on the alcoholic strength– ABV – of the beverage, rather than by its category, thus harmonizing the tax rates for different types of beverages and reducing the number of rates. Combining the two together, the alcohol industry is claimed to be facing the largest increase in duty since 1975.
Batting for the new duty, prime minister Rishi Sunak stated that UK had “taken advantage of Brexit” to simplify alcohol duty and that the changes would “benefit thousands of businesses across the country”.
The government classes alcoholic drinks into four categories- beer, cider and perry, wine and wine-made, and spirits. Prior to Aug 1, beers and spirits were taxed according to their alcoholic strength, while the remaining two categories were taxed based on the total volume of the product.
What the Treasury says as new "common-sense" principle, the new alcohol duty system brings with itself a major system change- alcoholic products being broadly taxed based on their alcoholic strength alone. Stronger the alcohol, higher the tax.
iStock image
Drinks with ABV below 3.5 per cent will be taxed at a lower rate, while drinks with an ABV of more than 8.5 per cent will all be taxed at the same rate, whether they are wines, spirits or beer.
For the tax bracket at least 3.5 per cent but less than 8.5 per cent ABV, brewers are facing a duty increase of 10.1 per cent, which the government has based on the Retail Price Index, essentially trying to keep it in line with inflation. This amounts to £21.01 excise duty rate per litre of alcohol implying that duty on a 4.5 per cent ABV beer will increase by 4p in shops while a cider of the same percentage will see a 1p increase.
The changes are brought in to target problem drinking by taxing products associated with alcohol-related harm at a higher rate of duty. The Office for Budget Responsibility is estimating that the new alcohol tax will raise £13.1 billion in the 2023-2024 financial year, equivalent to around £465 per household and 0.5 per cent of national income
As one can see, for a brewer in the at least 3.5 per cent but less than 8.5 per cent ABV range, they would have to knock quite a percentage points off to get out of this bracket and thus offset approximately10 per cent duty increase. Clearly, the move by Heineken, Greene King or similar ones does not serve the purpose of wriggling themselves out of this bracket.
Asian Trader contacted Heineken, BrewDog, Budweiser, Carlsberg and Molson Coor for input on this matter.
Changing tastes
Rise in the trend of cutting down ABV anyway comes at a time when Brits are increasingly embracing comparatively sober lifestyle with low and no alcohol drinks.
For people who are drinking beer for the sake of it or as a social thing, the lower alcohol content is more than welcome. Market data from Circana has found that although demand for regular beer has fallen by six percent in the last year, sales of no and low alcohol beers have increased by six percent in the same time.
In fact, Tesco has claimed that “sales are so strong that demand for the first three weeks of June is more than 25 percent higher than it was for the first three weeks of Dry January”. No wonder Guinness said that it would almost triple production of its zero-alcohol brand in response to a growing consumer taste for non-alcoholic drinks.
Other market reports suggest that sales of low-alcohol and no-alcohol beers have almost doubled in five years as weaker versions of global brands such as Heineken and Budweiser helped convert drinkers of carbonated soft drinks.
Drinkers in the UK bought £362m of alcohol-free and low-alcohol brews in 2021, up from£191mn in 2016, according to research group IWSR. This included£146m of “alcohol-free” beers, which have 0.5 per cent ABV or less. Low and no alcohol brews account for 3.1 per cent of the UK’s beer market, IWSR stated, compared with 2.7 per cent globally.
It is Gen Z who is causing a shake up in the alcoholic industry owing to their mindful drinking and sober curiosity, leading to better sales of low and no alcoholic drinks. According to Euromonitor, Gen Z – the generation born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s – has displayed a noticeable trend of reduced alcohol consumption compared to previous generations.
Retailer Girish Jeeva
Retailer Jeeva resonates market reports while revealing a dramatic rise in the demand for alcohol-free range. The Asian Trader award winning Premium store retailer is set to inaugurate a new “beer cave” in his store under the latest refitting in which a considerable space will be allocated to alcohol-free range.
“We are going to give probably about one to two meter for just alcohol-free range, amounting to 15-20 per cent of the alcohol aisle to start off with. With the rise in trend and now with all the prices increasing, this will be a good alternative for customers to switch into,” he told Asian Trader.
Stating that Corona Zero is the most sought-after product in this category, Jeeva plans to give a dedicated space to “stock as many alcohol-free products as possible”.
Taking advantage of lower tax perk, brewers, such as Scotland-based Vault City Brewing, are set to come up with more low-strength or ‘table beers’ that would be in the 2.5 to 3.4 per cent ABV range. Other makers are also expected to come up with more options in this range.
Cheers, anyway
As stated by retailer Jeeva too, it is too early to really tell if either drinkflation or new alcohol duty change will result in any major market shift.
Although it seems to be a nascent yet flourishing category, it is again too early to forecast that new alcohol duty change will lead to a plethora of lower same brand ABV beers hitting the market, new ranges, or it will be just the status quo.
Overall, slashing ABV does not seem to be as evil an approach as claimed by the media. In fact, reducing the alcoholic strength of beers seems to be a win-win situation for everyone here. Not only it is protecting commercial interests of brewers, but it is also aligning with trends in consumer demand and is likely to be a benefit to public health by reducing overall alcohol consumption. Cheers to that!
However, things are not as simple as it seems. If every brewer decides to produce a large range of lower ABV brands, falling in line with the government’s health ambitions, it would also at the same time will have a major impact on the amount of tax the UK Treasury accrues from the alcohol sector. Something to ponder over.
The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.
The latest Budget delivered a tough blow to the retail sector, exacerbating existing financial pressures. Retailers, who already shoulder a significant portion of business rates and rely heavily on a large workforce, face increased costs from rising employers’ National Insurance Contributions.
“Higher costs will also eat into available funds for future pay rises, benefits or pension contributions – hitting retailers’ cashflow in the short term and employees’ remuneration in the longer term,” Baker said.
“Retailers must get creative to manage their margins and attract footfall and spend, plus think outside the box to incentivise employees if they’re to hold onto talented staff.”
On the brighter side, falling inflation and lower interest rates could ease operational costs and restore consumer confidence, potentially driving retail spending upward.
High street resurgence
Consumers’ shopping habits are evolving, with a hybrid approach blending online and in-store purchases. According to RSM UK’s Consumer Outlook, 46 per cent of consumers prefer in-store shopping for weekly purchases, compared to 29 per cent for online, but the preference shifts to 47 per cent for online shopping for monthly buys and to 29 per cent for in-store. The most important in-store aspect for consumers was ease of finding products (59%), versus convenience (37%) for online.
“Tactile shopping experiences remain an integral part of the purchase journey for shoppers, so retailers need to prioritise convenience and the opportunity for discovery to bring consumers back to the high street,” Baker noted.
The government’s initiative to auction empty shops is expected to make brick-and-mortar stores more accessible to smaller, independent retailers, further boosting high street revival, she added.
A security guard stands in the doorway of a store in the Oxford Street retail area on December 13, 2024 in London, EnglandPhoto by Leon Neal/Getty Images
Meanwhile, retail crime, exacerbated by cost-of-living pressures, remains a significant concern, with shoplifting incidents reaching record highs. From organised social media-driven thefts to fraudulent delivery claims, the methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
“Crime has a knock-on effect on both margins and staff morale, so while the government is cracking down on retail crime, retailers also have a part to play by investing in data to prevent and detect theft,” Baker said.
“Data is extremely powerful in minimising losses and improving the overall operational efficiency of the business.”
AI as a game-changer
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a transformative force for the retail sector. From personalised product recommendations and inventory optimisation to immersive augmented reality experiences, AI is reshaping the shopping landscape.
“AI will undoubtedly become even more sophisticated over time, creating immersive and interactive experiences that bridge the gap between online and in-store. Emerging trends include hyper-personalisation throughout the entire shopping journey, autonomous stores and checkouts, and enhanced augmented reality experiences to “try” products before buying,” she said, adding that AI will be a “transformative investment” that determines the long-term viability of retail businesses.
The Amazon Fresh store in Ealing, LondonPhoto: Amazon
As financial pressures ease, sustainability is climbing up the consumer agenda. RSM’s Consumer Outlook found 46 per cent would pay more for products that are sustainably sourced, up from 28 per cent last year; while 44 per cent would pay more for products with environmentally friendly packaging, compared to 36 per cent last year.
“However, ESG concerns vary depending on age and income, holding greater importance among high earners and millennials. With financial pressures expected to continue easing next year, we anticipate a renewal of sustainability and environmentally conscious spending habits,” Baker noted.
“Retailers ought to tap into this by understanding the preferences of different demographics and most importantly, their target market.”
Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.
The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.
Council said these products contained either banned additives like Calcium Disodium EDTA or unauthorised novel ingredients such as Potassium Beta-hydroxybutyrate.
Calcium Disodium EDTA has been linked to potential reproductive and developmental effects and may contribute to colon cancer, according to some studies. Potassium Beta-hydroxybutyrate has not undergone safety assessments, making its inclusion in food products unlawful.
Independent analysis certified that the drinks failed to meet UK food safety standards. Magistrates ordered their destruction and ruled that the council's costs, expected to total close to £2,000, be recovered from the businesses involved.
“These products, clearly marketed towards children, contain banned or unauthorised ingredients. Southend-on-Sea City Council will always take action to protect the public, using enforcement powers to ensure unsafe products are removed from sale,” Cllr Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for regeneration, major projects, and regulatory services, said.
“As Christmas approaches, we hope this sends a strong message to businesses importing or selling such products: they risk significant costs and possible prosecution.”
The council urged residents to check labels when purchasing imported sweets and drinks, ensuring they include English-language details and a UK importer's address.
Keep ReadingShow less
A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024
Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.
One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.
“Since the end of September, we've seen a huge uplift in people coming to our shops and shopping pre-loved,” said Ollie Mead, who oversees the shop displays - currently glittering with Christmas decorations - for Oxfam charity stores around London.
At the chain of second-hand stores run by the British charity, shoppers can find used, or "pre-loved", toys, books, bric-a-brac and clothes for a fraction of the price of new items.
Popular for personal shopping, charity stores and online second-hand retailers are seeing an unlikely surge in interest for Christmas gifts, a time of year often criticised for promoting consumerism and generating waste.
A report last month by second-hand retail platform Vinted and consultants RetailEconomics found UK customers were set to spend £2 billion on second-hand Christmas gifts this year, around 10 per cent of the £20 billion Christmas gift market.
A woman browses some of the Christmas gift ideas in a store on December 13, 2024 in London, England. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images
In an Oxfam survey last year, 33 per cent were going to buy second-hand gifts for Christmas, up from 25 percent in 2021.
“This shift is evident on Vinted,” Adam Jay, Vinted's marketplace CEO, told AFP.
“We've observed an increase in UK members searching for 'gift' between October and December compared to the same period last year.”
According to Mead, who has gifted second-hand items for the last three Christmas seasons, sustainability concerns and cost-of-living pressures are “huge factors”.
Skimming the racks at the central London store, doctor Ed Burdett found a keychain and notebook for his wife.
“We're saving up at the moment, and she likes to give things another life. So it'll be the perfect thing for her,” Burdett, 50, told AFP.
“It's nice to spend less, and to know that it goes to a good place rather than to a high street shop.”
'Quirky, weird
Wayne Hemingway, designer and co-founder of Charity Super.Mkt, a brand which aims to put charity shops in empty shopping centres and high street spaces, has himself given second-hand Christmas gifts for “many, many years”.
“When I first started doing it, it was classed as quirky and weird,” he said, adding it was now going more “mainstream”.
Similarly, when he first started selling second-hand clothes over 40 years ago, “at Christmas your sales always nosedive(d) because everybody wanted new”.
Now, however, “we are seeing an increase at Christmas sales just like a new shop would”, Hemingway told AFP.
“Last weekend sales were crazy, the shop was mobbed,” he said, adding all his stores had seen a 20-percent higher than expected rise in sales in the weeks before Christmas.
“Things are changing for the better... It's gone from second-hand not being what you do at Christmas, to part of what you do.”
Young people are driving the trend by making more conscious fashion choices, and with a commitment to a “circular economy” and to “the idea of giving back (in) a society that is being more generous and fair,” he said.
At the store till, 56-year-old Jennifer Odibo was unconvinced.
Buying herself a striking orange jacket, she said she “loves vintage”.
But for most people, she confessed she would not get a used gift. “Christmas is special, it needs to be something they would cherish, something new,” said Odibo.
“For Christmas, I'll go and buy something nice, either at Selfridges or Fenwick,” she added, listing two iconic British department stores.
Hemingway conceded some shoppers “feel that people expect something new” at Christmas.
“We're on a journey. The world is on a journey, but it's got a long way to go,” he added.
According to Tetyana Solovey, a sociology researcher at the University of Manchester, “for some people, it could be a bit weird to celebrate it (Christmas) with reusing.”
“But it could be a shift in consciousness if we might be able to celebrate the new year by giving a second life to something,” Solovey told AFP.
“That could be a very sustainable approach to Christmas, which I think is quite wonderful.”
Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.
The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.
And now the pennies have been counted, Lancashire Mind has announced that the event raised a fantastic £17,000.
This amount of money allows Lancashire Mind to deliver, for example, its 10-week Bounce Forward resilience programme in eight schools, reaching more than 240 children with skills and strategies that they can carry with them throughout their lives, making them more likely to ‘bounce forward’ through tough times.
The event was headline sponsored by SPAR for a third year through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd, SPAR UK’s primary retailer, wholesaler, and distributor for the North of England.
“On behalf of the entire team at Lancashire Mind, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the 400+ incredible participants who joined us for Mental Elf 2024!” said Organiser Nicola Tomkins, Community and Events Fundraiser at Lancashire Mind.
“Your support, energy and commitment to raising awareness for mental health makes all the difference. Together, we've taken another important step towards breaking the stigma around mental health and promoting wellbeing for all in our community. We couldn't have done it without you!”
Worden Hall became the hub of the event where people could enjoy music from the Worldwise Samba Drummers and BBC stars Jasmine and Gabriella T, plus lots of family friendly activities and a chance to meet Father Christmas. Pets also got in on the act in the best dressed dog competition.
Lancashire Mind CEO David Dunwell said: “It was heart-warming day, full of community spirit and festive cheer, but with a serious aim to raise funds for mental health.
“We are so grateful to everyone who bought a ticket and fundraised or donated to help us smash our target. The money raised goes directly to supporting Lancashire Mind’s life-changing mental health services. These funds help provide wellbeing coaching, support groups, and educational programmes to individuals and families in need of mental health support in our community.”
The concept of Mental Elf was created by Lancashire Mind and news of the event has spread right across the country in recent years, with around 40 other local Mind charities hosting a similar event in 2024.
Lancashire schools were also encouraged to host their own Mental Elf-themed event this year, whether that was a run, bake sale or dress up day, and raised more than £1,000 in total.
Philippa Harrington, Marketing Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “There was a lovely festive feel in the air at Mental Elf and we were delighted to see even more individuals, families, and canine companions taking part in its new home of Worden Park.
“We are also very pleased to see the uptake that Mental Elf has had in schools, and congratulations go to the Lancashire Mind team for taking it to new participants and for raising a fantastic amount of money for an important cause.”
Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.
UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.
Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.
The updates follow news this week of higher inflation in Britain - an outcome that caused the Bank of England on Thursday to leave interest rates unchanged.
Retail sales by volume grew 0.2 per cent in November after a drop of 0.7 per cent in October, the Office for National Statistics said Friday.
That was less than analysts' consensus for a 0.5-percent gain.
"It is critical delayed spending materialises this Christmas to mitigate the poor start to retail's all-important festive season," noted Nicholas Found, senior consultant at Retail Economics.
"However, cautiousness lingers, slowing momentum in the economy. Households continue to adjust to higher prices (and) elevated interest rates."
He added that consumers were focused on buying "carefully timed promotions and essentials, while deferring bigger purchases".
The ONS reported that supermarkets benefited from higher food sales.
"Clothing stores sales dipped sharply once again, as retailers reported tough trading conditions," said Hannah Finselbach, senior statistician at the ONS.
Retail sales rose 0.2% in November 2024, following a fall of 0.7% in October 2024.
Growth in supermarkets and other non-food stores was partly offset by a fall in clothing retailers.
The Labour government's net borrowing meanwhile dropped to £11.2 billion last month, the lowest November figure in three years on higher tax receipts and lower debt-interest, the ONS added.
The figure had been £18.2 billion in October.
"Borrowing remains subject to upside risks... due to sticky interest rates, driven by markets repricing for fewer cuts in 2025," forecast Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK and chair of ICAEW’s Retail Group, commented that the later than usual Black Friday weekend meant November’s retail sales figures saw only a slight uptick as cost-conscious consumers held off to bag a bargain.
“Despite many retailers launching Black Friday offers early, November trade got off to a slow start which dragged on for most of the month. This was driven by clothing which fell to its lowest level since January 2022. The only saving grace was half-term and Halloween spending helped to slightly offset disappointing sales throughout November,” Baker said.
“As consumer confidence continues to build and shoppers return to the high street, this should translate into more retail spending next year. However, there are big challenges coming down the track for the sector, so retailers will be banking on a consumer-led recovery to come to fruition so they can combat a surge in costs.”
Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, added: “The tick up in retail sales volumes in November suggests that the stagnation which has gripped the UK economy since the summer continued into the final months of the year.
“While the recent strong pay growth numbers may make the Bank of England uncomfortable, it means that real incomes are growing at just under 3 per cent, which suggests consumer spending should gradually rise next year. However, consumers remain extremely cautious. The very sharp drop in clothing sales in particular could suggest that consumers are cutting back on non-essential purchases.
“We still expect a rise in consumer spending next year, due to strong wage growth and a gradual decline in the saving rate, to help drive an acceleration in GDP growth. But the risks are clearly building that cautious consumers choose to save rather than spend increases in income, raising the risk of weaker growth continuing through the first half of next year.”