alcohol

Focus on Alcoholic Drinks by Daniel Woolfson

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Submissions deadline: 3 October

Advertising deadline 10 October

 

The Story

Forget reports of Brits watching their drinking. Alcohol sales are up in both value and volume this year, taking the total category to over £13bn. Still, booze has its fair share of challenges ahead. Not only are public health concerns over alcohol growing – one large-scale study said no amount was safe to drink – but Brexit is threatening to herald price rises and shortages. So can alcohol brands hold onto healthy growth? And how are they adapting to the changing consumer and political landscape?

 

Key themes

All-round growth: Sales are up in all alcohol sub-categories bar fortified wine. That’s not just down to rising prices; volume sales are also up. Can this increase in alcohol sales continue?

Health concerns: Public health warnings over alcohol have reached an unprecedented level. While one study claims no amount of alcohol is safe to drink – adding weight to warnings from chief medical officer Sally Davies that even moderate drinking has risks – Public Health England has stepped up its awareness campaigns. Most recently, it recommended a few ‘dry days’ a week. The campaign has notably faced a backlash due to the partnership with Drinkaware. So what will be the impact of these campaigns? If partnering with PHE provokes a backlash, what else can the industry do?

Brexit: Warnings have included everything from a gin shortage to pricey plonk. Britain’s upcoming exit from the European Union will undoubtedly impact the alcohol industry, but how? And how can brands prepare?

Innovations: We identify four new alcoholic drinks that ideally have not appeared in The Grocer before including launch date and RSP, and image

 

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

 What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?

 How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?

 How has merchandising changed in the market?

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