NEWS | Industry Events


Drink sales increased by 2.9% across Europe’s six biggest markets last year, as shoppers continued to cut back on alcohol but paid more for a new generation of beverages competing for social occasions and catering to healthier lifestyles. Spending on alcohol fell by 0.8% in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK according to the latest analysis of the FMCGmarket by Circana, while sales of low- and no-alcohol alternatives grew by 7.3%. Increased spending on sports, energy and yoghurt-based drinks,


as increasingly health-conscious consumers took advantage of a wider range of products, also helped lift non-alcoholic drink sales by 5.4% to €109 billion and total beverage sales to €180 billion. Beer, cider, wine and spirits sales were down 0.9%, 1.2%, 1.5% and 2.2% respectively. 43% of shoppers, and half of 25- to 39-year- olds, told Circana they were cutting back on alcohol by buying less, postponing purchases or giving up altogether. Around 44% of all shoppers said they were buying more bottled


water, 31% more juices and smoothies, and 29% more tea and coffee. Just 15% said they were buying more alcoholic drinks. This is despite heavy discounting, with around 41% of beer and 37% of alcoholic drinks sold on promotion during the year, compared with only 25% of beverages overall. Speaking following his keynote at the Beverage Forum on 1 October, Ananda Roy, senior vice president of strategic growth insights at Circana, said: “Alcohol has been declining in popularity in the five or six years since the pandemic and this has now led to a wider range of alternatives and healthier products, which give us much more choice about what we drink at home and when we socialise.


“Younger people in particular are drinking much less alcohol and there is no evidence this will change as they get older, as the growing mix of adult soft drinks and lighter alternatives is simply becoming an increasingly normal part of everyday drinking. “It’s not game over for alcohol manufacturers, but they need to do much more than cut prices and instead look at lighter, lower-sugar and lower-calorie products that can help beer, wine and spirits stay relevant as our drinking habits change.”


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