The alcohol-free beer category is seeing record sales as it continues to rise in popularity among Brits, according to alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint.
Lucky Saint has posted back-to-back record months as the category continues to drive growth within the total beer category.
The low- and no-alcohol beer category continues to perform well, showing 22% year-on-year growth, while the total beer category remains relatively flat at 0.9% growth.
The category story is reflected in the on-trade, too, shown with the latest figures from the Morning Advertiser Beer Report. Calling low- and no-alcohol beer the “definitive winner” when it comes to on-trade value sales, sales have risen from £81.9m in 2023 to £118.3m in 2024, and are now at £184.7m, representing a rise of 125.4% from two years ago
This comes off the back of a new industry report released from research consultancy KAM and Lucky Saint, confirming that alcohol-free has become the new normal. Nearly 40 million UK adults (76%) are now actively choosing to drink less alcohol, with behaviour shifts across every age group.
“People are making deliberate decisions about how they use their time, how they take care of their physical and mental wellbeing, and what they choose to eat and drink,” said Lucky Saint founder Luke Boase.
“It’s resulted in a huge take-up of alcohol-free drinks. Alcohol-free beer has grown by 125% in two years in the pubs, bars, and restaurants.
“As more and more people consciously choose to drink less alcohol, alcohol-free drinks are playing a major role in positively impacting the health of our nation.”
• UKHospitality has criticised plans for a new Healthy Food Standard to tackle obesity — part of the government’s 10-year NHS plan.
The announcement said that all ‘big food businesses’ will need to report on healthy food sales. It said the reporting will “set full transparency and accountability around the food that businesses are selling, and encourage healthier products”.
Businesses will be given the freedom to meet the standard in whichever way works best for them. Government have included examples, including reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options.
It said it would set targets to increase the healthiness of sales in communities across the UK, and work with the Food Strategy Advisory Board on the sequencing of this policy.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “The starting point for any effective plan to tackle obesity in the UK must be in schools, by teaching pupils how to cook, and by putting food and nutrition back into the curriculum so children can make educated, healthy choices throughout their lives.
“It cannot be about imposing random, mandatory targets for businesses that will not deliver genuine change, but which will add further red tape and costs.
“It is, therefore, imperative that the government engages now with the hospitality sector to avoid generating unforeseen consequences for vital businesses such as community pubs, neighbourhood restaurants, local cafes, and school meal providers.”
She added: “Mandatory reporting and set targets with unclear outcomes will only add to the financial burden for such businesses which, in the midst of soaring cost-price inflation, are already battling to keep prices low and quality high for hard working families wanting to enjoy the occasional treat and meal out.
“This is a significant opportunity to tackle the obesity epidemic and so it is crucial that key sectors such as ours have our voice heard, so that the government can get this right and deliver on its promised food revolution.”
• New World Trading Co has closed The Botanist, in Birmingham. This follows the closure of sites in Liverpool, Knutsford, and Alderley Edge last year, and Coventry, Sheffield, and Salford earlier this year.
The latest closure has been made “in the best interests for the overall health of the business”, says the company. It has another Botanist in Birmingham, at Gas Street Basin. It’s not all closures, either – a new Botanist opened in Bournemouth in May. There are 24 venues in the Botanist estate.
• Nathan Wall, hugely experienced in hospitality, has been hired as the new managing director of Admiral Taverns’ Proper Pubs division. His CV includes spells with Ei Group and JD Wetherspoon.
