​Focus On Alcoholic Drinks: 1 November

By Rob Brown (rob_j_a_brown@hotmail.com)

Publishing: 1 November 2025

Advertising deadline: 17 October 2025

Submissions deadline: 15 October 2025

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

The booze category is never short on flashy new product launches. But over the past year, brands have been putting almost as much emphasis on the packaging as the liquids themselves. Recent launches include RTDs in Tetra packaging, whisky pouches, bag-in-box wines, and beer, wine and even spirits in aluminium can formats. What’s driving this? How much of this is down to the government’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme? To what extend does this reflect changes in where, when and how people are consuming alcohol? And what advantages and disadvantages – in terms of cost, consumer appeal, logistics, etc – do different packaging formats present to brands?

EPR: This feature will explore in depth what influence the government’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme is having on changes in packaging in the booze industry. What are the cost implications of EPR for each kind of packaging, what are the aims of the scheme and to what extent is it driving change?

Packaging unpacked: We will also be weighing up the pros and cons of different packaging formats in terms of cost, consumer appeal, logistics and so on, paying particular attention to recent innovations claiming to allow punters to pour the perfect pint at home.

In-store marketing, merchandising and theatre: This feature will pay close attention to how brands are looking to stand out from the crowd in stores with eye-catching packaging. How important is it to have eye-catching packaging designs and what considerations do brands have to make to stay within Portman Group rules?

Booze on the move: We will also explore how the UK’s relationship with alcohol is changing in terms of the where, when and how much people are drinking. To what extent is this driving, for example, the growth in canned cocktails and RTDs and canned wines? How else is this influencing product and packaging formulations?

Marketing: We will also be looking at how the big brands are using their marketing budgets to convince shoppers to continue putting them in their baskets. How reliant are they on celebrity endorsements, primetime TV ads and digital? And how can challengers with shallower pockets cut through the noise?

Innovation: The past year has seen plenty of innovation in booze. This feature will explore the latest trends and how this is playing out in terms of product innovation. We will profile four new products or ranges, ideally ones that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.