Sales of low- and no-alcohol beverages rocketed last month as drinkers committed to ‘Dry/Try January’ enjoyed a greater variety of options. That’s according to Greene King.
Sales of Estrella Galicia 0.0%, Lucky Saint 0.5% and Heineken 0.0% all “rocketed”, the pub chain said, with sales of the beers up 238%, compared to January 2024.
The most established category, packaged beer and cider, continues to drive sales: more than 30% of all packaged beer and cider sold last month was alcohol-free products. Across the chain’s 1,600 sites, three out of the five top-selling packaged beer and cider brands were alcohol-free lager and stout brands.
“It’s been good to see our activations and campaigns in January have showcased these drinks to attract people into our pubs in a traditionally quiet month,” said Danny Ayton drinks category director at Greene King.
These beers are not just for after Christmas, though. Greene King research shows 20% of Gen Z don’t drink alcohol and a third of those surveyed believe that UK drinking culture is more inclusive for non-alcohol drinkers compared to five years ago. People are moderating their alcohol intake throughout the year.
The British Beer and Pub Association’s latest report on the category, released in December, showed the industry is adapting to changing habits, with more than 425,000 bulk barrels of no- and low-alcohol beer, equivalent to 120 million pints, sold in 2023. This is up 14% on 2022, when more than 370,000 bulk barrels were sold. Some 86% of pubs sell a no- and low- option; and 8% serving it on draught, up from just 2% in 2019.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the BBPA, said at the time: “With the popularity of no- and low- increasing, we stand ready to support the Government in taking the necessary steps to align our no- and low-alcohol descriptors with other markets. This important move would allow the category to continue to flourish, benefit the consumer, and allow the pub to continue being a home away from home,” she added.
In the UK the existing threshold for ‘alcohol free’ is 0.05% ABV, whereas a number of other nations define alcohol free as 0.5% ABV. Aligning the thresholds will provide a level of fairness for UK brewers and will help to contribute towards the Government’s commitment to drive growth which will boost the UK economy, according to the BBPA.
