Waitrose introduces dedicated areas for low and alcohol free drinks
Due to fast growth in sales of low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks, Waitrose is working with Diageo to introduce dedicated areas in 253 shops to make it easier for customers to find its 70-strong range.
The supermarket said its sales of the drinks have grown by 20% over the past year, with beer growing at the fastest rate. The introduction of dedicated areas means 60% more space will be given to low and alcohol-free drinks across the supermarket’s store estate.
The move follows research commissioned by Diageo which found that seven in ten UK adults want to be able to find low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks more easily.
Pierpaolo Petrassi, Master of Wine and head of beers, wines and spirits at Waitrose, said: “Demand for low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks is growing at a phenomenal rate. It’s now the norm for customers to buy both. We expect this year to be the biggest year to date for sales and are preparing for strong demand at Christmas.
“The growth is down to our customers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption, but is also heavily driven by the creation of new, great quality new drinks such as Guinness 0.0, Tanqueray 0.0 and Gordon’s Pink 0.0. We’ve added 10 new low and alcohol-free products this year and will launch more before Christmas.”
Neil O’Brien MP, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health welcomed the initiative saying: “The government wants to create a supportive environment to help individuals who want to reduce their alcohol consumption, including through encouraging substitution of alcoholic drinks with no and low alcohol alternatives.
“We welcome this initiative to increase the availability and to improve signposting of no and low alcohol alternatives in stores.”
