After suddenly finding herself surrounded with people talking about pears, writer Lizzy O’Riordan decided to investigate the alleged hangover preventer.   Sometimes, in life, the most unlikely products become cool. A few years ago, it was very chic to be spotted carrying a reusable water bottle. Now, bizarrely, it’s the height of style to own a brick phone. And, as this writer wandered through a very…

What will drive growth in 2026? Category experts speak to Jo Gilbert to unpack the trends shaping spirits, wine, beer and cider Spirits, Nick Gillett, MD, Mangrove Global If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the spirits category is operating in a landscape full of contradictions. Consumers are drinking less often, but when they do drink, they still want quality.

As part of our annual Drinks Retailing Trends Report, we surveyed around 35 UK independent retailers. Lizzy O’Riordan reports on what they had to say about beer, wine, spirits and low/no. Plus, the biggest challenges in the off-trade Around 45% of independent retailers polled for this year’s Trends Report said they performed better in 2024 compared to 2023. This marks a 15% drop…

From sustainability to discovery, the latest look at wine trends from Hallgarten & Novum outlines what consumers want from indies in 2024. The 2024 Wine Trend Predictions Off-Trade Edition was created using several measures including insight agency KAM’s survey of 1,185 independent specialist wine retailer consumers. The findings have been cross referenced with Hallgarten’s own sales data in an effort to create a…

Trendspotting is a dangerous game. Everyone wants to be in at the start of the next big thing; but believing the hype can leave you with slow moving stock blocking valuable shelf space. I recently visited Vinexpo Paris to spot the trends that producers and winemakers are backing in 2022. If you’re not already selling wine in cans, this trend will be hard to avoid.

The head of Diageo’s UK business has said he expects the off-trade to remain resilient, as consumers start to return to bars. Speaking as part of the company’s H1 results presentation, Dayalan Nayager, managing director of Diageo GB, said: “When we saw the on-trade reopen last year, what we were pleased about was the resilience of the off-trade. We expect that to continue. “If you…

Budweiser Brewing Group (BBG) has predicted that 70% of beer consumption will be premium or super premium by 2025. The company said today that Covid-19 has cemented trend towards premiumisation, “as shoppers sought out known and trusted brands”. According to BBG, the premium and super-premium category is currently worth £3.4bn, up 5% year-on-year.  Citing Nielsen data, the brewer said super-premium is now the…