The low and no-alcohol category has continued its off-trade momentum into 2023, growing in value by 11% against the backdrop of a total alcohol category which declined by 2.5%. The drinking occasion for low/no is wider than ever, with more people choosing to moderate their drinking more regularly than ever before. In our recent NIQ State of the Nation survey we found…

Champagne exports to the UK rose in value during 2022, though dipped in volume, as consumers continue to enjoy more premium Champagnes.  At the Comité Champagne press conference on Thursday 25 May, the organisation revealed that the UK is the second biggest export market in the world.  Exports to the UK came to a total value of just under €549 million –…

Prosecco famously captured the hearts and minds of UK consumers following the 2008/2009 recession. But what are the key trends during the current cost-of-living crisis? Which sparkling categories are bubbling up? And which are losing their fizz? Recent Circana (formerly IRI) off-trade data, shared with Drinks Retailing by Freixenet Copestick, shows some interesting developments. While Prosecco dominates the share of value sales (52%) in the…

As part of our annual Trends Report, Drinks Retailing polled independent retailers from across the UK. We had around 30 responses, covering more than 50 outlets and online retailers across beer, wine and spirits. Some 65% of those surveyed say their business performed better in 2022 than it did the year prior, and 73% expect turnover to improve this year. That’s not…

The cost-of-living crisis, along with rising costs, continue to influence how retailers are searching for new wines. For many attending the Specialist Importers Trade Tasting (SITT) in London earlier this week, the quest was about finding the best value. And the concept of value continues to mean either wines from less well-known regions of popular wine producing countries, more obscure grape varieties, or wines from…

The latest data from NielsenIQ has shown a fall in both volume and value for the BWS category, as consumers continue to exercise caution. The data, for the four weeks ending December 3, found that BWS saw both value (-1.5%) and volume (-3.6%) declines across multiple retailers. NielsenIQ said this may be attributed to overlaps in terms of trade challenges and the beginning of Omicron…

The trade organisation for New Zealand wine has reported an “all-time high” export value for the 12 months ending September 2022, despite high inflation rates and increasing production costs.  New Zealand Winegrowers said total exports were up 6% from the previous year at $2.03 billion, with the USA accounting for $727 million of international exports. Canada also saw “record levels” of exports, with a…