UK households are striving to be healthier, leading to a drop in BWS sales but growth in low & no sales, according to NIQ data released today. 

The consumer intelligence firm found that sales for beer, wine and spirits were the weakest of any supermarket supercategory in the four weeks ending 4 October. 

Within this, unit sales declined by 2.6% and value sales dipped by 0.6%. 

The outlier, however, was low & no alcohol beer. NIQ revealed the subcategory accounts for 3.9% of all beer sales and grew by 4.5% in unit sales and 12.1% in value sales over the same period. 

Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NIQ, linked the reduction in alcohol sales to a wider wellness movement: “There are three emerging trends that could also influence what shoppers put in their shopping basket this Christmas: moderation in alcoholic beverages, seeking out healthier food options, and cooking from scratch.” 

These trends align with findings from Drinks Retailing on supermarkets’ need to increase health-forward options. Likewise, ongoing research from Club Soda has noted that more of the UK public are showing interest in the low & no category. 

Supermarket performance 

Elsewhere in the report, NIQ noted that Ocado remains the fastest-growing retailer in the UK, with Lidl also showing strong growth, alongside Marks & Spencer. 

Sainsbury’s and Tesco continue to maintain market share, driven largely by loyalty card prices, while sales at Asda and Co-op have fallen.