Daily Research News Online no. 3038 - Booze and the British

Booze and the British

April 5 2004

The average Briton spends £1,272 on alcoholic drinks each year - almost twice as much as Germans and more than any other nation in Europe, according to new figures from Datamonitor. However, in terms of pure alcohol content they consume less than most Europeans: and they are less likely than most to be drinking in their own home.

The British spend over two-thirds of their drinking money in pubs, bars and restaurants, where they downed over 110 litres of alcoholic drinks per person in 2003, according to the report, 'Changing Alcoholic Drinks Consumption Occasions'. However, spending on alcoholic drinks to be enjoyed at home or while entertaining friends is forecast to increase by almost 18%, to £23 billion in 2008. On-trade spending is expected to increase by much less - 6% - and this in turn reflects trading up to 'premium and novelty drinks' according to Datamonitor: the company forecasts that on-trade consumption, which has only risen from 109 litres per head in 1998 to 112 litres today, will fall again to 110 litres by 2008.

In terms of pure alcohol equivalent, total UK alcohol consumption in 2003 equates to 12.2 litres per person, compared to almost 16 litres in Germany and 15 litres in France, despite Britain's widely reported binge drinking culture. 'The truth' comments Andrew Russell, Consumer Analyst at Datamonitor, and author of the report, 'is that only a minority of Britain's drinkers are binge drinkers - but this behaviour is concentrated in city centres and on weekends, maximizing its impact on society. By contrast, the higher alcohol consumption in Europe is less intense, reducing drunkenness, public order issues and other negative effects of alcohol consumption'.

Consumption of alcoholic drinks when going out (litres)
	2003	2008
Spain	113	119
UK	112	110
Germany	95	95
France	54	52
Italy	51	54
Netherlands	51	51
Sweden	19	19
US	43	43
Source: Datamonitor

The report also highlights an increase in drinking by urban singles and childless couples, in addition to the traditionally prominent young adults. Partly as a result, Datamonitor forecasts the number of mid-week drinking occasions to increase at an annual compound rate of over 3%. 'Consumers like to have a drink to mark the change between work and leisure, giving rise to the rapidly growing post-work drink phenomenon' comments Russell.

At-home drinking is considered the biggest potential growth area for drinks manufacturers. Staying-in and entertaining at-home occasions will become more frequent, increasing by between 3% and 5% per year according to Datamonitor. Consumers spend as much on drinks for an entertaining at-home event as they do in bars or restaurants when going out - an average of almost £10 per occasion in the UK and £6 in the rest of Europe.

The company's web site is at www.datamonitor.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.