Boom in one litre bottles drives fall in price for spirits sector

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Brits have splashed out an extra £103.7m on litre bottles of spirits in the past year, contributing to a 1.1% fall in the average price paid at the checkouts [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 19 June 2016].

Gin and imported whiskey brands such as Gordon’s, Bombay Dry and Jack Daniel’s have driven the upsurge in the format. Both gin and whiskey have seen considerable growth over the past year, with sales up 16.1% and 9.4% respectively.

One-litre bottles are considerably cheaper than other sizes at £15.73 per litre, compared with 70cl and 35cl bottles, which come in at £18.13 and £22.41 a litre.

“Both penetration and frequency gains have driven the key uplift in 1-litre spirits growth – leading to an impressive 7.7 million more take-home shopping occasions for this pack size over the last year,” explains Andy Crossan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.

“While there have been gains made by consumers switching from other pack sizes, most notably from 70cl bottles, growth has predominantly been generated through repeat shoppers spending more year on year.”

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