Britain's 100 Biggest Alcohol Brands 2014

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Britain is hitting the bottle. We’ve spent £400m (5%) more on the UK’s 100 biggest alcohol brands in the off trade [Nielsen 52 w/e 26 April]. And this growth isn’t merely inflationary; we’ve knocked back 70.3 million (3.3%) more litres of branded beer, cider, spirits, RTDs and wine combined.

Of course this doesn’t mean we’ve all been blotto for the past year. While some high-strength brands did surprisingly well - value and volume are up for Skol Super (103) and K (134) - some weaker drinks are absolutely flying: sales of low or no-alcohol lagers and ciders surged 78%. This, and generally higher prices across the top 100, has pushed the cost per unit of alcohol up 3.3%.

Inevitably, the performance of the top 100 was influenced by the longest, hottest heatwave in six years, last summer, which sent sales surging. Pimm’s (59) has grown 23% on volumes up 15.2%, thanks in no small part to the hot spell last July. Budweiser (6) enjoyed the greatest gain among the lagers, growing £10.9m (15.5%) in the three months to 27 July alone. In this period the 20 biggest brands in lager, a sector in decline for years, enjoyed a £37.7m (5.3%) fillip.

And here’s the rub: if the weather is to thank for the market’s apparent return to form, maintaining growth over the coming year will be a tall order, especially in light of England’s early exit from the World Cup and the inconsistent weather of late.

Our guide to Britain’s 100 biggest brands is packed full of unmissable insight and data; it investigates whether the market is in as good shape as its recent growth suggests; and looks into other factors influencing the category. And it contains our rundown of the top 100 brands with details on each entry.

You can purchase our guide to Britain’s Biggest Alcohol Brands 2014 above. Alternatively, it is available free to existing subscribers.