UK: Brits spend an extra £2.1 bln on alcohol this year

Booze-drinking Brits spent an extra £2.1 bln on alcoholic beverages this year as they stocked up on lager, wine and spirits while pubs were closed during lockdown, City A. M. reported on December 18.

Despite its name, Corona was one of the lager brands to toast the largest growth, with sales up £68 mln compared to last year.

Lager was the fastest growing drink of choice during the pandemic, up £791.9 mln to be worth £4.4 bln, with Stella Artois, Budweiser and San Miguel also making the top ten products in 2020.

Meanwhile wine and spirits grew £717.4 mln and £566.8 mln respectively, as drinkers hit the supermarkets while pubs and restaurants were closed or were facing strict restrictions.

Tobacco sales grew £971.9 mln, with a £684.4 mln increase in rolling tobacco, according to research by data analytics firm Nielsen.

The meat category was another big winner, up £438.9 mln, driven by a £161.8 mln growth in beef sales.

That was followed by sausages, up £125.9 mln, and chicken, up £120.4 mln, as people cooked roast dinners and BBQs at home while eating out was not an option.

Personal care brands were the biggest losers of 2020, with cosmetics, hair styling, toothbrushes and deodorant shedding nearly £300 mln during the year, as Brits spent more time at home.

Chilled ready meals suffered a £74.2 mln slump as people cooked from scratch more often.

Rachel White, retail intelligence leader at Nielsen said: “It’s been a rollercoaster year for grocery retail. The pandemic has shifted consumer shopping habits to the extreme.

“With limited opportunities to socialise or visit bars and restaurants, consumers turned to scratch cooking not just as a way to feed the family but also as a source of entertainment – as we saw with the huge trends for homemade sourdough and banana bread and other recipes that went viral this year.

“With more free time at home, consumers moved away from chilled ready meal options and focused instead on creating their own dining experience at home, cooking with fresh ingredients and enjoying a drink at home rather than at the pub.”

17 December, 2020