Almost three-quarters of all alcohol sold in the UK is now purchased through supermarkets and convenience stores, underlining the long-term shift of drinking from pubs and bars into the home.
New research from Drinkaware shows that 73% of all alcohol sold in 2023 was bought in the off-trade, up from just over half (53%) in 2000. The data reflects a structural change in where alcohol is consumed, with home firmly established as the dominant drinking setting.
According to Drinkaware’s 2025 Monitor, two in five UK adults (40%) now drink alcohol at home on a weekly basis, compared with just one in five (21%) who drink weekly in pubs, bars or restaurants. While similar proportions report drinking at home and out-of-home at least once a year (88% versus 89%), home drinking is far more likely to be habitual and frequent.
The report, Drinking at Home: Changing patterns and opportunities for prevention, draws on Drinkaware Monitor data from 2018 to 2025, alongside Kantar purchasing figures, to map how alcohol consumption has evolved over the past two decades.
Drinkaware chief executive, Karen Tyrell, said: “This research shows how significantly drinking habits have changed in the UK…Supermarkets are a critical part of that picture. By building on existing good practice and working together to ensure trusted advice is visible and accessible wherever alcohol is bought, partnerships can help make it easier for people to make informed choices, beyond a single moment of purchase.”
Off-trade share rises as on-trade volumes fall
The growth in off-trade dominance comes against a sustained decline in on-trade purchasing volumes. Weekly alcohol purchases for consumption outside the home have fallen by around two-thirds since the mid-2000s, dropping from 616ml per person in 2004/05 to 215ml in 2023/24.
By contrast, while home purchasing has also dipped over time, the fall has been more modest, from 763ml per person per week to 592ml over the same period. The result is that a greater proportion of total alcohol consumption is now concentrated in domestic settings.
For retailers, this cements supermarkets and c-stores as the primary route to market for alcohol sales. As more alcohol is bought and consumed at home, retail environments, both in-store and online, are increasingly central touchpoints for shoppers.
The data also reveals a marked concentration of off-trade sales among heavier-drinking households.
Kantar analysis shows that just 11% of households – where average consumption exceeds the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk guideline of 14 units per adult per week – account for 56% of all off-trade alcohol sales. In other words, more than half of supermarket and convenience alcohol volumes are driven by a relatively small minority of higher-consuming households.
At a population level, 18% of adults – equivalent to around 8.2 million people – drink above the 14-unit weekly guideline, despite overall moderation trends in recent years.
Among regular home drinkers, 36% consume more than 14 units per week, down from 41% in 2018, while weekly binge drinking has also edged down from 26% to 23% over the same period. Overall, 82% of drinkers now report consuming within the low-risk guidelines – the highest level since the Monitor began.
