Mid-level gin squeezed as posh and cheap brands drive growth

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Gin is being squeezed. Well, gin priced between £15 and £20 a litre is, as Brits switch to other price points.

Gins priced at under £15 a litre have increased their share of the market from 15.2% to 17.3%, while those over £20 a litre took its share to 23.1% from 22%.

“The more premium and cheaper ends of the gin market are gaining share within the sector,” says Andy Crossan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.

Despite losses for those in the middle ground, they still hold the majority share, as Crossan explains. “However the middle tier – between £15 and £20 per litre – still holds a vast amount of share, and, as we’d expect to see with a booming sector, is still growing considerably, and through more shoppers buying,” he adds.

Gin sales are up 16.1% on volumes up 16.2%, with the average price per litre remaining fairly static at £17.17. The UK’s four biggest gin brands – Gordon’s, Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, and Hendricks’s – have seen strong growth [Nielsen MAT 3 September 2016].

Bombay Sapphire and Bombay Dry Gin – with average prices of £21.44 and £16.88 per litre – were the biggest winners, adding a combined £20.3m to sales. Gordon’s, meanwhile, added a cool £6.3m to its value. The biggest loser in mid priced gin has been own label, down 6.8% on volumes down 6.5%. 

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