Focus on Low and No Alcohol: 30 March

By Rob Brown rob_j_a_brown@hotmail.com

Publishing: 30 March

2024 Advertising deadline: 15 March

2024 Submissions deadline: 9 March

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

No-alcohol beer and advertising are proving happy bedfellows. Following Heineken’s partnership with Formula 1 to promote Heineken 0.0, Corona Cero was announced as an official sponsor for the Olympics. Meanwhile, Peroni has partnered with Ferrari on their Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 and Guiness 0.0 sponsors the Six Nations rugby. Can we expect more brands to launch no/low varieties to capitalise on the wider trend in this area? Beyond sports – in film and social media, for instance – how are brewers leveraging 0.0 beers for product placement? And are ads actually getting people to drink more low percent beer, or simply getting more eyeballs for the parent brands?

Big brand dominance: Low and no alcohol drinks continue to go strong, with value sales up 22.5% over volumes up 12.5%. In contrast to several years ago when smaller brewers led the pack on low-alcohol beers, big players are embracing the low and no category. The top three brands are doing very well, all up more than 100% in volume over 2022. But as the category matures, will consumers trade up for more premium products, whittling away the big brands’ market share?

Own label vs brands: In every subcategory except for beer, own label saw volumes and value sales decline. Why are they falling? What can own label do to recover?

Spirits: Beefeater recently launched a 0.0 spirit in Spain, following the successful launch of Seagram’s 0.0 last year. Meanwhile, in the UK, Diageo launched alcohol-free versions of Seedlip and Captain Morgan last year. But in the low and no category, spirits are still far behind on unit sales, with only one brand in the top ten – Gordon’s 0.0, which saw value and volume fall last year. Can we expect more brands to launch a no/low spirit variety? Why are they underperforming?

Innovations: Profile of four new products or ranges that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.