Overview
- Alcohol sales at Waitrose were 25% lower than other months this January, narrowing from a 42% gap in 2022.
- Waitrose identified January 12 as the turning point, with alcohol sales rising 11% from the previous week.
- Wine led the rebound, with Argentinian sales up 25%, Chilean up 27%, and searches for “red wine” up by almost two thirds.
- An Attest survey found 27% of adults intended full abstinence this year, while 31% planned to reduce consumption.
- A new alcohol duty rise took effect on February 1, and the trade body warns costs will be passed to consumers, with duty on a typical red now the highest in Europe.