Prosecco sales up 72%, adding £142m to the grocery sector
British shoppers are swapping champagne and other sparkling wine for prosecco as the nation’s favourite fizz. Prosecco sales now total £338m and, with sales value growth of 72% in the last year, added £142m to the grocery sector, according to IRI, the global leader in market and shopper intelligence.
IRI’s analysis is based on actual sales of products across UK off-trade retailers – including supermarkets, off-licenses, convenience stores and independents – in the 52 weeks ended 18 July 2015.
While sales of prosecco sparkled, champagne was flat, with value growth of just 1.2% in the last year and sales volume down by 0.4%. Despite this the number one and two players (Moet and Lanson) both have had good years, suggesting that shoppers are turning away from lower tiered products, which don’t have the brand cachet to differentiate them to other competitors in the sparkling wine category.
Toby Magill, head of beer, wine and spirits insights at IRI, said: “Prosecco is a fashionable drink that provides a cheaper and excellent quality alternative to champagne. It’s no wonder that it now outpaces champagne in value and volume and is being chosen above champagne at weddings. It’s quickly becoming the nation’s summer drink of choice.”
Magill has a warning for champagne manufacturers. “Champagne brands will need to focus on helping shoppers see the value of their premium brands if they want to fend off the advances of their popular prosecco cousins as they move into the premium end of the sparkling wine category.”
Sales of sparkling wine measured by IRI:
|
Value Sales |
Volume Sales |
|||
|
52 w/e 19 Jul, 14 |
52 w/e 18 Jul, 15 |
52 w/e 19 Jul, 14 |
52 w/e 18 Jul, 15 |
|
|
Sparkling wine |
£455,061,701 |
£585,167,531 |
53,242,026 |
68,107,992 |
|
% change |
28.6 |
% change |
27.9 |
|
|
Prosecco |
£196,717,293 |
£338,614,254 |
20,880,091 |
37,324,075 |
|
% change |
72.1 |
% change |
78.8 |
|
|
Cava |
£20,920,678 |
£18,593,380 |
2,457,559 |
2,051,845 |
|
% change |
-11.1 |
% change |
-16.5 |
|
|
Champagne |
£247,106,528 |
£250,007,296 |
9,879,904 |
9,840,094 |
|
% change |
1.2 |
% change |
-0.4 |
The total off-trade sector for beer, wine and spirits is worth £14.5 billion.
Other IRI insights:
IRI and Co-op collaborate to provide data science apprenticeship programmes
