Waitrose is working with Diageo to introduce dedicated areas in 253 of its stores that aim to make it easier for shoppers to find the supermarket’s full range of over 70 low and alcohol-free drinks, including beer, cider, wines and spirits.
The retailer noted that over the past year, sales of low and alcohol-free drinks in its stores have grown by 20%, with beer sales growing the fastest. The introduction of the dedicated areas will see 60% more space given over to low and alcohol-free drinks across its estate.
Research commissioned by Diageo found that seven in ten adults in the UK want to be able to find low and alcohol-free drinks more easily as increasing numbers of people moderate their drinking.
“Demand for low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks is growing at a phenomenal rate. It’s now the norm for customers to buy both. We expect this year to be the biggest year to date for sales and are preparing for strong demand at Christmas,” said Pierpaolo Petrassi, Master of Wine, and Head of Beers, Wines and Spirits at Waitrose.
“The growth is down to our customers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption, but is also heavily driven by the creation of new, great quality new drinks such as Guinness 0.0, Tanqueray 0.0 and Gordon’s Pink 0.0. We’ve added 10 new low and alcohol-free products this year and will launch more before Christmas.”
Nuno Teles, Managing Director Diageo GB, added: “We know that UK drinkers are becoming more sophisticated and thinking more about how much they drink, the alcohol-free and low-alcohol category plays a critical role in providing quality choices for those looking to moderate, without compromising on experience.
“However, barriers still exist when it comes to finding and understanding the options available. We are proud to partner with Waitrose to make it easier for consumers to know where to find alcohol-free and low alcohol options in store.”
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