Publication date: 10 October

Advertising deadline: 24 September

Submissions deadline: 17 September

Contact: Natalie Brown (Natalie_brown@live.co.uk)

Download full synopsis here

British drinkers’ tastes are evolving fast. As the Red Bull generation grows up, sweeter booze is booming. The biggest launch of the past year has been a fruit/wine mix; RTDs are in strong growth as younger drinkers switch to premixed spirits, as are golden ales with flavour profiles more similar to lager than traditional ales. So who are the winners and losers of this trend? And how else is the sector, and our tastes, changing?

Key themes:

Consumer tastes: How are drinkers’ tastes evolving? Who is drinking RTDs and sweeter wine varieties? Why has cider fallen into decline in the past year? What are people drinking instead? Apart from the trend for sweeter drinks, how else are tastes changing? Is the trend for world cuisines having an impact? What about lower abv drinks?

Price and premiumisation: Our research shows that much of the alcoholic drinks market’s growth in the past year has been driven by price increases, with more premium products enjoying growing sales. There’s one key exception, however: the beer market is looking increasingly commoditised, with average prices having fallen 2%. Which brands and retailers are driving this?

The retailers: This feature will pay close attention to how different retailers are approaching the alcoholic drinks fixture and to what effect. How are retailers’ branded and own-label ranges developing? How are they merchandising? Our research shows that Waitrose has had the strongest growth of the past year. Why?

Innovation: Key to this feature will be a discussion of the latest NPD on the market. The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired these innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in the category. Twelve of the most interesting recent launches (four beer or cider; four wine; four spirits or RTDs) will be profiled in separate boxes.

The discounters: The discounters stealing growing share from the traditional multiples across grocery, so how active are they in alcohol? How are they looking to win more share? How do their product and price ranges compare with those of the mainstream multiples? Which brands and products are enjoying the most growth in the discounters?

Lager online presence: Online is an increasingly important channel. So which brands have the best online presence on retailers’ e-commerce sites? We will reveal all with exclusive analysis from Brandview.

Premium products: Prices are rising across booze as Brits plump for pricier tipples. So which brands are enjoying the greatest growth? What’s next in this area? What are the most premium products currently on sale in the grocers and beyond?

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

  • What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?
  • How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?
  • How have individual retailers’ strategies impacted the market?
  • How has merchandising changed in the market?
  • What impact has own-label had on branded players?
  • What’s next for the category?
  • We profile four new products or product ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP.

Downloads