UK: Heineken announces launch of Heineken 0.0

Heineken on May 12 announced the launch of new drink Heineken 0.0, an alcohol-free version of its flagship lager, in the UK, the Business Insider reported.

The launch comes as consumers increasingly shun boozy drinks in favour of healthier options. Market research company Euromonitor International said on May 11 that the global alcoholic drinks market declined for the second year in a row in 2016. The volume of alcohol sold last year declined 0.2%, following a 0.8% fall in 2015.

The trend for "clean living" in the US and European markets has led to slowdown in alcohol sales. Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics released earlier this month show drinking rates in Britain are declining. 56.9% of people aged 16 and over had a drink in the week before being interviewed, down from 64.2% in 2005.

Heineken says in the release announcing 0.0 that the drink taps into the "growing cultural trend around the importance of responsible alcohol consumption and living a balanced, healthy lifestyle."

Gianluca Di Tondo, Heineken's senior director of global brand, says in a release on May 12: "The zero alcohol segment in Europe and Russia grew with a 5% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2010 to 2015. We expect this strong growth to continue, driven by good innovation on taste, as it already has in Spain, Germany and Austria.

"Our ambition is to lead the category development in the markets where non-alcoholic beer is still small, but has growth potential, with a premium proposition."

Heineken is rolling out the new beer in 17 markets this year including the UK.

12 May, 2017