Musgrave MarketPlace: Surge in low and non-alcoholic drinks

Beer exports increased by 11% to €330 million

Musgrave Marketplace, has today revealed an enormous surge in sales for low and non-alcoholic drinks over the last three months. Sales in this category have soared by a staggering 1,200% since November, fuelled by initiatives such as ‘Dry January’, high-profile launches and the growing emphasis on health and wellness among consumers.

Print

Print

News

Read More: Musgrave Marketplace

Sales of non-alcohol and low-alcohol drinks have surged in a big way in recent months. Aided by the successful launches of high-profile brands like Heineken Zero and Brew Gate Non-Alcoholic, Musgrave Marketplace has reported a surge of 1,200% in the category since November of last year.

In response to this growing demand, Musgrave MarketPlace launched a dedicated low and non-alcoholic section last November. It was the first wholesale group in Europe to do so and has piloted it in three branches with a view to rolling it out to the remainder of its branches in 2019.  Zero alcohol is a key trend for this year as bars and restaurants get more creative with their low and non-alcoholic offerings.

Commenting on the increased popularity of low and non-alcoholic alternatives, Stephen Duffy from the Press Up Group said he had  seen an increase in demand for Low ABV and non-alcoholic drinks over the past few months. “But it has really taken off with the ‘dry January’ campaign,” Duffy said. “The taste profile of non-alcoholic beers has improved so much in the past 12 months that customers feel that they’re getting the benefits of beer without the hangover.

“We haven’t seen a reduction in our alcohol sales because of this trend but instead we’ve seen an increased number of occasions that people can drink non-alcoholic beer,” Duffy added.

Sheena Forde, trading director, Musgrave MarketPlace said the company is focused on anticipating what the latest trends will be in the foodservice industry and ensuring that it is offering the best range to customers.

“It made sense for us to take the initiative and create a dedicated section for this category,” Forde said. “We were the first in Europe to do this and the results to date have been phenomenal.”

Read More: Musgrave Marketplace

Related Articles

Pornstar martini takes the lead as Ireland’s favourite cocktail →

Musgrave MarketPlace unveils new positioning for its brand →