- Contents
- *Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
What you need to know
The outlook for the alcoholic drinks market in 2020 is fraught with uncertainty due to the rapidly changing situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. The immediate impact of the lockdown will be a significant hit to drinks sales through the on-trade, while in the medium term the impact on the economy and consumer incomes will be inescapable. Alcoholic drinks are a discretionary category in the line of fire as people economise.
The COVID-19-related disruption follows a period of 11% growth in the market over 2014-19 to reach an estimated £49.3 billion. This was fuelled by rising average prices, with modest volume growth of 2% over the period. Volume sales ebbed noticeably in 2019, following the uplift from one-off factors in 2018 from the hot summer and the FIFA World Cup.
There is widespread concern around the healthiness of alcoholic drinks among consumers, which makes NPD centred on better-for-you products, including low- and non-alcoholic variants a necessity for the market to ensure its continued relevance to consumers. Promisingly for the industry stalwarts, low-/non-alcoholic versions from favourite alcoholic drinks brands appeal widely.
Key issues covered in this Report
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The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour and market dynamics in the alcoholic drinks sector.
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The low-/no-alcohol opportunity, and the added impetus to this from COVID-19.
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The value of individual segments and brand performance in 2019.
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Consumer usage of and attitudes towards alcoholic drinks.
Products covered in this Report
This Report explores usage of and attitudes towards alcoholic drinks. This includes all types of alcohol, as well as low/non-alcoholic variants of drinks that typically contain alcohol (eg alcohol-free beer). The Report excludes soft drinks such as carbonated soft drinks and juices.
Both on- and off-trade sales are included in the total market size. The overall market size has been compiled as a total value of the five categories listed below, although the COVID-19 outbreak means that the forecast in this report is significantly different to those included in previous reports. Please see the relevant Reports for additional information on the markets in question:
Dark Spirits and Liqueurs – UK, September 2019
Still, Sparking and Fortified Wine – UK, October 2019
Beer – UK, December 2019
