Greene King, the leading brewer and pub company, has seen sales of low and no alcohol drinks soar in Dry/Try January as customers enjoyed the greater choice of drinks in this category.
Responding to changing customer tastes and lifestyle choices, Greene King has been extending its low and no ranges across all drinks categories – draught and packaged beers, alcohol-free cocktails, wines and spirits – with low and no beers topping the sales charts this January. Recent Greene King research into views on Dry January showed the evolving pub culture and that people choose to meet up and socialise in the pub, regardless of whether they are drinking. This trend of moderation and flexi-drinking is not confined to January, but is now seen throughout the year.
The thirst for alcohol-free beers on draught was exponential with rocketing sales of Estrella Galicia 0.0%, Lucky Saint 0.5% and Heineken 0.0%. Comparing January 2024 to January 2025 the growth is +238%. Guinness 0.0% is being trialled on draught and is packaged in other sites. The most established category, packaged beer and cider, continues to drive sales further as over 30% of all packaged beer and cider sold was alcohol-free products.
Across 1,600 Greene King managed pubs from January 1-31, 2025:
- Draught alcohol-free sales were up by +238%
- Three out of the five top-selling packaged beer and cider brands were alcohol-free lager and stout brands
- Alcohol-free share of total packaged beer and cider category has grown by 9.3% year-on-year
- Volume share of alcohol-free cocktails has grown 4.9% vs 2023
In January, Greene King also teamed up with alcohol-free spirits brand, CleanCo, to showcase a selection of alcohol-free cocktails, which are now available across Greene King pubs.
Danny Ayton, Greene King’s drinks category director said: “This January we have seen the continuing demand for great quality low and no drinks. The pub is where people want to meet up with friends, family and work colleagues, whatever the occasion and time of day. Our low and no range is appealing to customers looking for alternatives to alcohol in Dry/Try January and all through the year. Draught and packaged beers are leading the way and there are exciting new products emerging too. Acting on customer feedback and insights is helping us meet the demand for this innovative and fast-growing category. It’s been good to see our activations and campaigns in January have showcased these drinks to attract people into our pubs in a traditionally quiet month.”
Recent research by Greene King found 20% of Gen Z don’t drink alcohol and a third of those surveyed believe that UK drinking culture is more inclusive for non-alcohol drinkers compared to five years ago. It found people are moderating their alcohol intake throughout the year, not just in January.
The British Beer and Pub Association’s latest report on the category shows that the industry has adapted to changing habits, with more than 425,000 bulk barrels of no and low alcoholic beer, equivalent to 120 million pints, were sold in 2023. This is up 14% on 2022, when more than 370,000 bulk barrels were sold.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 40,000 people across the group with three divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands & Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs: Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”. Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs.
- Destination Brands & Ventures: Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions. Venture includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels which operate autonomously of Greene King’s managed pub brands.
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Contact: Greene King Press Office, PressOffice@greeneking.co.uk
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