The alcohol-free beer category is seeing record sales as it continues to rise in popularity amongst British consumers, according to data compiled by alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint.
The low and no beer category continues to perform well, with the category showing 22% YoY growth whilst the total beer category remains relatively flat, with growth of just 0.9% (Circana, value sales, 12wk, 14.06.25).
The category story is reflected in the on-trade too, shown with the latest figures from the Morning Advertiser Beer Report. Calling low and no alcohol beer the “definitive winner” when it comes to on-trade value sales, sales have risen from £81.9m in 2023 to £118.3m in 2024, and now at £184.7m – representing a rise of 125.4% from two years ago (CGA by NIQ, value sales, 12wk, 14.06.25).
This comes off the back of a new industry report released from research consultancy KAM and Lucky Saint, confirming that alcohol-free has become the new normal. Nearly 40 million UK adults (76%) are now actively choosing to drink less alcohol, with behaviour shifts across every age group.
The 2025 edition of the annual report, KAM Low + No, looks at evolving drinking habits across the UK, with the findings showing how entrenched alcohol-free drinks have become in society.
Key findings from the KAM Low + No 2025: Drinking Differently report:
Alcohol-free is an ingrained part of how we are drinking:
- 76% of UK adults – approximately 39.8 million people – are actively moderating their alcohol consumption.
- 1 in 3 people are zebra striping in a single outing (34% of adults now alternate between low & no drinks and alcoholic drinks – up from 28% in 2024)
- 1 in 3 pub visits are alcohol-free
- 1 in 4 have chosen to make their final drink an alcohol-free one, in order to stay out longer
Alcohol-free consumption and a conscious drive to drink less alcohol are now ingrained into how UK adults are drinking.
Health is the main driver:
- 82% of UK adults cite improving overall health and lifestyle as their main reason for reducing alcohol intake
- 71% now consider the health impact when choosing drinks in pubs, bars, and restaurants – rising to 90% among 25–34-year-olds
- Nearly 40% of all drinks consumed aren’t full-strength alcohol
- Low & no beer is now the second most popular choice for non-drinkers in pubs, up from 7th place just last year. Increase to 31% from 23% last year (up from 9% just 5 years ago)
People across the UK are embracing alcohol-free drinks, due to the positive health impact they are having. There is a continued drive to improve physical and mental wellbeing, and alcohol-free drinks are playing a key role within that.
Expectations are shifting:
- 37% say they’ve left social occasions early in the past three months due to a lack of appealing low & no options – up from 31% in 2024
- 35% say it’s important that pubs and bars offer alcohol-free beer on draught
- 59% of Brits say there is less stigma around drinking alcohol-free drinks than there used to be
- 36% of people said it’s becoming less acceptable among their peers to ‘get drunk’ (55yr+ 30% agree)
The rise in acceptance and consumption of alcohol-free drinks has brought with it the need to properly meet that demand, with consumers raising their expectations in terms of the alcohol-free offerings in a pub, bar or restaurant.
Luke Boase, founder of Lucky Saint, said: “People are making deliberate decisions about how they use their time, how they take care of their physical and mental wellbeing, and what they choose to eat and drink.
“It’s resulted in a huge take-up of alcohol-free drinks – alcohol-free beer has grown by 125% in 2 years in the pubs, bars and restaurants.
“As more and more people consciously choose to drink less alcohol, alcohol-free drinks are playing a major role in positively impacting the health of our nation.”
NAM Implications:
- In case you have been wondering about the apparent lack of major producers’ pain re these trends in moving from High/Yes to Low/No alcoholic beverages…
- …it would appear that Low/No drinks are more expensive than traditional alcoholic beverages because of a combination of
- Higher production costs
- Premium Ingredients
- Smaller Market
- Marketing and innovation
- Given that Low/No are exempt from tax…
- …is it only a matter of time before (or size of segment) the government figure out a way of getting a slice of the action?
