Alcohol Purchasing in Supermarkets - UK - October 2010

This is the first time that Mintel has produced a separate report looking at consumer behaviour surrounding and attitudes towards purchasing alcohol at supermarkets.

• The prospect of minimum pricing solicits a powerful response from consumers, with seven in ten believing that raising the cost of alcohol at the supermarket would penalise standard drinkers. This is despite the majority admitting it would have little or no effect on their alcohol purchasing.
• Consumers spend an average amount of £12 per week at the supermarket, translating into £624 a year, although almost one quarter spend £5 or less per week, indicating that a binge drinking culture in Britain may not be as widespread as the media suggests.
• A third of consumers are influenced in their choice of supermarket based on who has the best offers of alcohol, a testament to the success of alcohol as a potential loss leader.
• While consumers in general are strongly engaged with discounting, with four fifths having bought alcohol on promotion in the past 12 months, the over-45s, who are the key demographic for in-home drinking, are the least likely to buy alcohol on promotion.
• While raising the price of alcohol in supermarkets would close the gap between the on- and off-trade, it would have little impact on driving consumers back to the pub, as only 11% of consumers agree that higher prices at the supermarket would make them drink in pubs more often.
• Wine is the most popular drink bought from the supermarket by three quarters of consumers in the past 12 months, highlighting it as a compromise option between the sexes and featuring in six out of the top ten brands by advertising spend.