Slight dip in no and low sales during December suggests category’s growing ‘maturity’
The no and low alcohol category is beginning to “reach maturity”, according to the latest data from Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Kantar Worldpanel).
The most recent report, covering the four weeks to 28 December 2025, showed a 14% rise in spend in the low and no-alcohol category in the run up to Christmas and New Year, with around 2.7 million households now buying into the category. This represents roughly 9.5% of households, however the proportion of households choosing no and low alcohol drinks actually edged down slightly in the period, from 9.6% in the same period last year.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator said that there has been a rapid rise in sales of low and no alcohol alternatives over the last five years. At the same time, the number of households cutting alcohol out of their shopping basket altogether had “steadily increased” – although it should be noted that 75% of British shoppers bought alcoholic drinks in December.
McKevitt pointed out that the “slight dip” in the numbers of shoppers buying into the no and low category during December may be signal that the category is “beginning to mature”. At the same time, “the rise in sales shows that converted households are doubling down on their favourite low and no alcohol tipples”, he said.
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Wider grocery channel
Meanwhile, in the wider grocery channel, take-home sales at the grocers rose 3.8% on last’s year’s figure, reaching £13.8 billion in the four weeks to 28 December 2025. Inflation also eased slightly to 4.3%, which Worldpanel by Numerator said offered “modest relief to shoppers who on average spent £476 at the supermarkets during the festive month”.
Spending on promotions and deals also reached its highest level since before the pandemic, at 33.3%, while premium own label lines exceeded the £1 billion milestone for the first time.
In terms of market share, Lidl made the greatest gains, with a 0.5 percentage point rise helping it reach a new record over the festive period, with a market share of 7.8%.
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