Heineken UK has reported surging sales of its Inch’s cider, driven by warm weather and the men’s football World Cup.
Sales of Inch’s climbed by 18.3%, on volumes up 19.4%, in the year to 13 July, HUK said, citing NIQ data. Growth had been driven by “fresh innovation and its apple-y, premium apple cider choices built for summer occasions”, it said.
Sales had peaked over the late-May bank holiday, and during England games at the 2026 World Cup, said Inch’s. A heatwave over the bank holiday drove an 8.6% year-on-year value sales uplift, while volumes surged 74.6% on 27 June, as England faced Panama in the World Cup.
Inch’s Medium Apple Cider led the way in absolute sales over the summer trading period, with four-pack and 10-pack formats up by 19.4% and 15.1% respectively [NIQ YTD 13 July 2026].
Larger formats also benefited from consumers stocking up for social gatherings, HUK said, pointing to sales of Inch’s 15-packs, which climbed by 42.4% in value.
Inch’s Cloudy, launched in 2025, has also gained traction, with four-pack sales up 59.2% year on year.
Since its launch, Inch’s Cloudy had delivered £11.2m in value sales, and recruited over 96.6k incremental shoppers to the mainstream apple cider category, HUK said, citing NIQ and Worldpanel by Numerator data.
Alcohol-free Inch’s 0.0, meanwhile, has seen year-on-year sales surge by 270% in value.
“We’re incredibly proud to see that Inch’s Cider has been driving significant value for retailers this year, especially during the summer when we’ve experienced some fantastic weather, and sporting events,” said Max Wainwright, cider brand director at HUK. “As consumers continue to enter the cider category, Inch’s continues to explore opportunities to build on its growth and become a standout brand, making it front of mind for shoppers when in-store.
“Outside of our innovation, we’re continuing to offer support to retailers through our offers and activations, ensuring that they can boost cider sales all year round.”
Inch’s is not the only cider brand to enjoy a standout summer. Fruit cider brand Kopparberg has also seen a strong sales uplift, growing 12.1% on volumes up 9.5% [Circana 12 w/e 8 August 2026].
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