Our Associate Consultant, Henry Skrobot, recently wrote an article offering his insights into the current state of the On-Trade market. Despite the challenges after a busy festive season followed by dry January, he talks about these circumstances not necessarily meaning an unsociable month for pubs and restaurants.
Henry is a specialist in the drinks industry so dive into his thoughts on how the no and low alcohol scene is shaking up our booze habits.
We’re just over a week away from the end of January now which is great because not only is my birthday in February, but all my mates will have finished their attempts at Dry January (with varying degrees of success).
January can be a hard time for the On Trade, with a dip in sales after a busy festive period in December, it can be tough for pubs to keep afloat. As Claire Wilde writes in an article for the BBC the charity Alcohol Change have encouraged punters to keep going to the pub and Lucky Saint | B Corp™ “Thou Shalt Go to the Pub” campaign has further helped change the narrative that a Dry January doesn’t have to mean an unsociable one. After all it’s the people around the pints, not the pints themselves, that make pubs what they are.
With 383 pubs lost in the first 6 months of last year alone, almost as many as the whole of 2022, I think it’s important to keep a ‘use it or lose it’ mentality for the venues we hold dear to our hearts.
What I’ve noticed this January, more than the last few years, is the plethora of great alcohol-free options. Offerings from brands like Wavelength Drinks, Big Drop Brewing Co, and Days help break down the association that a good time must go hand in hand with alcohol. Small Beer Brew Co. is another brand that I’ve been admiring the work of, encouraging moderation rather than abstention with their low % beers, something that NICE | B Corp™ have also been working hard at, offering a new ‘Session Wine’ that sits at just 6%.
The No & Low sector isn’t done growing yet, and I hope to continue seeing this growth supporting the UK On-Trade and its consumers through society’s changing relationship with alcohol.
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