Christmas 2021: An optimistic appraisal

The British tabloids have spoken: Christmas 2021 is unlikely to yield much festive cheer. Unfortunately, this isn’t simply press hyperbole – the UK’s food industry is under enormous pressure, while retail supply chains continue to be stymied by a lack of HGV drivers.

Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released a set of data in September which confirmed that the on-trade staffing crisis has not abated. “Sourcing staff has been one of our biggest challenges since we reopened,” says Avinash Shashidhara, head chef at Pali Hill restaurant in London.

RTDs continue to grow boosted by hard seltzers and FABs

The market for ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol products continues to show traction and demand from consumers, according to a new study from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

Seltzers: Hard at work

The big news from the US is that hard seltzers’ meteoric rise is finally levelling off. Jo Gilbert looks at the category’s trajectory in the UK and how it is piggybacking off the success of canned products.

Lockdown accelerated Champagne's growth in mainland China

Demand for Champagne has risen dramatically in mainland China over the past 12 months, according to market expert Lei Meng.

Premium spirits: Paying the price of lockdown

Trivento takes the top spot for Argentine wine

Concha y Toro's Trivento is celebrating becoming the leading Argentine wine brand in the world, with sales of over US$256.2m a year according to a new report from the IWSR.

Positive thinking

While the past year has been extremely challenging for alcohol, there’s cause for optimism when it comes to recovery. Lisa Riley crunches IWSR numbers.

Online sales still booming

Sales of alcohol online have remained strong despite the fuller opening of the on-trade, signalling how buying BWS online has become a way of life during the pandemic, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Global alcohol consumption to return to pre-Covid levels by 2023

The global beverage alcohol market is showing positive signs of recovery and is projected to grow 2.9% in volume by the end of 2021, according IWSR research.

Spirits vs Wine: Rolling with the times

Definitive figures from Kantar show just how much shopping habits changed in 2020, with spirits overtaking wine in baskets for the first time and online reaching hitherto unmatched heights, as Jo Gilbert discovers.

Changing market forces push ‘more modern’ whisky breed to the front

Changing market forces are pushing a new, more modern breed of whisky to the forefront, with the evolving category landscape encouraging producers to innovate, according to new IWSR research. 

Low and no: How far will it go?

Consumer demand for no and low alcohol products and ready-to-drink is on the rise both globally and in the UK. But how long will this growth continue? Jo Gilbert looks ahead.

Brits embrace at home wine drinking

Driven by Covid-19 lockdowns and closure of the on-trade, the at-home occasion has helped consumers reconnect with wine, with Brits having increasingly embraced wine drinking within the comfort of their own home during the pandemic, according to IWSR research.  

No/low consumption to rise 31% by 2024

Total volume sales of no/low alcohol beer, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink (RTD) products are set to increase 31% by 2024, according to a No-and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study 2021 from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. 

IWSR acquires Wine Intelligence

IWSR Drinks Market Analysis has acquired Wine Intelligence for an undisclosed sum.

Organic growth a ‘global phenomenon’, helping reboot depressed wine market

Against a backdrop of globally dampened wine market, organic wine sales are predicted to rise from a 2.8% share of world wine sales to 4% by 2024, potentially representing an increasingly important driver of recovery.

Harpers and Argento put the spotlight on organic

Join us this week for Harpers’ latest online session where we will be delving into organic winemaking over two insight-filled sessions.

Premium spirits to defy Covid pressures

Premium-and-above spirits are forecasted to increase their global volume market share to 13% by 2024 as consumers continue to search for “authenticity and status”, according to the IWSR.

Shakedown looms for English and Welsh spirits

A restructure could be on the cards for the English and Welsh spirits sector, as pressure from an impending recession begins to squeeze brands at either end of the price spectrum. Jo Gilbert reports

Major brands “reallocating” funds away from on-trade into e-commerce and DTC

The Covid-19 pandemic is facilitating a long-term shift among many of the world’s leading drinks brands’ strategies, it has been suggested, as owners begin to adopt a more “nuanced” approach to channel distribution.