Daily Research News Online no. 1776 - UK Tops Europe for Drinking

UK Tops Europe for Drinking

July 31 2002

Latest research from Mintel studying alcoholic drinking trends across the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy finds 89% of British drinking alcoholic drinks either in-home or elsewhere. Drinking in the UK is closely followed by France, with 88% of the French consuming alcohol.

Meanwhile, just over three quarters of Spanish enjoy an alcoholic tipple with over a third of Germans claiming to be teetotal. With health awareness high in Germany, in part also as a result of the on-going financial crises in the health insurance system, and discussions over a ban on alcohol advertising, all alcoholic drinks in Germany are under something of a cloud.

In terms of drinking and age, it would seem that the British and French share the same drinking trends. Once the French and British get a taste for alcohol, they never seem to want to give it up. By contrast the Spanish and Germans' interest in alcohol dwindles at retirement age. Some 78% of under 20 year old UK consumers drink alcohol, consumption peaks at 93% among the 45-54 year old age group, from then on the decline is moderate with 85% of those aged 65 and over enjoying a tipple. A similar scenario exists in France, where 89% of those aged 65 and over remain drinkers. In Spain, alcohol consumption peaks among those aged 25-44 and declines to under 60% of those aged 65 and over, while in Germany usage declines to just 55% of this older age range.

'It is interesting to note that drinking at a young age is highest in the UK where giving children alcohol is frowned upon. In Italy where alcohol is part of every day life the presence of children in the household does not affect beer-drinking or alcohol consumption in general. Children are used to seeing their parents drink and are themselves given small amounts to taste as they get older. Around 70% of Italian under 20 year olds drink alcohol, compared to some 78% of Britain's youth' comments Anne Bourgeois, European Consumer Goods Consultant.

Over 64% of the British are wine drinkers, this is virtually equal to France, where 65% enjoy a glass of wine. Of the 89% of British adults who drink alcohol, wine is drunk by 73% of them. In terms of the amount of wine drunk per wine drinker, the British are still the lightest users, with French wine drinkers consuming the greatest number of glasses. Nevertheless, the French are drinking less wine than ever and their drinking habits have changed. From a rate of 120 litres per adult per annum in the 1960s, consumption slid to an estimated 55 litres in 2001. Changing eating habits and lifestyles have led the French to broaden the range of beverages they drink. 'This shift in consumption trends and lifestyles in France is reflected in the growth of the soft drinks and bottled water markets. Expenditure in these markets has developed more swiftly than for wine' comments Anne Bourgeois.

In contrast to France, the wine market has been the success story of the alcoholic drinks sector in the UK. From a beer-drinking nation, wine has grown to become an everyday drink for much of the population. Indeed, almost two thirds of the population drink wine and over a third of these are heavy users.

The in home market has benefited from growing ranges stocked in grocery multiples, while a more knowledgeable consumer base is producing more extensive wine lists in a variety of on trade premises.

The growing health awareness among the German population is reflected in the consumption patterns of alcoholic drinks over the last two decades. The wine sector remains the only promising sector in an otherwise depressed alcoholic drinks market. The increase reflects the fact that the German consumer base for wine is broadening, rather than existing drinkers drinking more wine. In 1997, when retail and direct wine sales came in at a moderate 1,215 million litres, some 63% of households were drinking wine; by 2000, volume sales were up some 5% to 1,270 million litres, but the percentage of adult tipplers had grown to well over two thirds at 69%.

With the exception of France and their love of dark spirits, the British show the greatest tendency towards drinking any spirit. The proportion of adults drinking white spirits in the UK (43%) is higher than France (22%) and Spain (15%) combined. The Spanish (15%) and Germans (13%) are the least likely to favour this drink option. (The figure for France does not include the popular aniseed aperitif which is drunk by some 38% of French). Across Western Europe, the French are the most likely to opt for dark spirits, in particular whisky (37%), this is followed by the British at 33%. Looking at white spirits, the proportion of adults drinking vodka in the UK(25%) is higher than France (10%) and Spain (5%) and Germany (8%) combined. The situation is similar for gin, where 19% of British favour enjoy this tipple, compared to 8% of French, 9% of Spanish and 3% of Germans. White rum is drunk by the same percentage of British (12%) as French.

Drinking spirits in the UK starts at a young age. Almost half of the British older teenagers are dabbling in white spirits. Usage peaks at 20-24 (55%) and continues to decline with age. Nevertheless, over 30% of those British aged 65 and over reach for a gin, vodka or white rum. Around a quarter of Spanish, Germans and French under 20 year old adults favour drinking white spirits. Again, the percentage of European consumers declines with age. In terms of dark spirits, the UK has the lowest percentage of dark spirit consumers aged under 20, however, by the time the British consumers reach 45-54 years of age, British dark spirit consumers outpace those in France, Spain and Germany.

A number of favourable trends are arriving in Europe from the US; and from the UK to France and Germany, as the drinks scene becomes ever more global. These include Latin fever, cocktail and shot drinking (particularly of premium white spirits such as flavoured vodkas and tequilas) which have together inspired an increasing number of trendy style bars in the major cities. The number of ne product developments within the spirits and liqueurs sector, including new flavours - such as lemon and cranberry for vodka; and Soho, a lychee-flavoured drink, is on the increase.

Research in to beer drinking patterns highlights the UK as having the greatest number of beer drinking consumers in Europe at 64%, the only country where the percentage of beer drinkers is less than 50% is Germany (49%). Yet again drinking in the UK among the youngest adult age groups exceeds the other European countries. Over 60% of Britain's young enjoy a glass of beer, compared to just 37% of the Spanish youth.

Across Europe the trend in beer is towards premium varieties. In Germany most new product development is within the booming beer-mix market. While, so far, most beer-mixes have been beer plus Limonade (lemonade), or beer plus cola, other recipes are now entering the market, including the mixture of beer and other alcoholic drinks. Most of the new beer-mixes are launched as totally new products, rather than line extensions.

In terms of volume per person, the Italians continue to be at the bottom of the EU beer consumption league, well behind the next lowest, the French - who come in at 36.1 litres per capita. Even compared to the average across the EU - 81.2 litres - the Italians still consume just one-quarter the amount of beer of their neighbours. Despite the increase in consumption, however, it is unlikely that the Italians will catch up with their neighbours. 'Drinking alcohol separately from meals is a recently learned behaviour and is unlikely to replace the Italians' traditional pattern of socialising around the dinner table. Alcohol consumption itself is declining in Italy and will continue to do so. Paradoxical as it may sound, the effects of alcohol are considered the least attractive aspects of drinking. This obviously militates against increased consumption' comments Anne Bourgeois.