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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Consumers’ financial health is key for vodka, gin and RTDs
- Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
- Various factors drive up spirits prices in 2025-26
- Pub closures continue in 2025; further closures expected for 2026
- Slowdown in growth of 20-34s over 2025-30 will curb category growth
- Graph 2: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2020-25 and 2025-30
- Growing alcohol moderation is both a threat and an opportunity
- Graph 3: alcohol reduction and non-usage, 2022-25
- Market size and forecast of vodka, gin and RTDs
- Graph 4: market size and forecast for total value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, 2019-30
- Value and volume sales decline over 2019-25
- Ageing population and increased alcohol moderation to weaken volume sales over 2025-30
- On-trade loses sales as consumer spending remains cautious
- Graph 5: value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, by on- and off-trade, 2023-25
- Vodka leads on values but not volumes; RTDs gain market share in 2023-25
- Graph 6: total value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, by segment, 2023-25
- Smirnoff leads the vodka/gin segment but loses sales in 2025
- Graph 7: retail value sales of vodka/gin by top five brands and own-label, 2022/23-2024/25
- Gordon’s sales fall faster than the overall gin segment in 2025
- Gordon’s leads on value, WKD on volume in fragmented RTDs retail market
- Graph 8: retail value sales of RTD alcoholic drinks, by top five brands and own-label, 2022/23-2024/25
- Shake-up in the top ten RTD brands amid growing competition
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THE CONSUMER
- Six in ten adults drink vodka or gin
- Vodka/gin are typically drunk in mixed serves, but many people are not very adventurous
- Graph 9: drinking of different serves of vodka and gin, 2025
- Younger and wealthier people lead on vodka/gin usage
- Under-35s and the financially better-off are the key RTDs drinkers
- Focus on unique ingredients and sourcing to drive trading up in vodka/gin
- Differentiation is key to success in vodka/gin
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Citrus and other fruits are among key flavour trends in vodka/gin
- Fruit flavours remain popular in RTDs NPD; spice flavours gain momentum
- Outdoor marketing helps challenger RTDs brands enter the mainstream
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The market
- Market factors – retail price inflation for wine and spirits
- Graph 10: RPI inflation for wine & spirits and all-items, 2021-25
- Market segmentation and channels to market – values
- Market segmentation and channels to market – volumes
- Vodka/gin retail market share – value sales – brands
- Vodka/gin retail market share – volume sales – brand owners
- Vodka/gin retail market share – value sales – brand owners
- Vodka/gin retail market share – volume sales – brand owners
- RTDs retail market share – value sales – brands
- RTDs retail market share – volume sales – brands
- RTDs retail market share – value sales – brand owners
- RTDs retail market share – volume sales – brands
This Market Dynamics report features market data extracted from Mintel’s UK Vodka, Gin and RTD Market Report 2026. Giving you direct access to key market information and analysis from our category experts. This report is ideal for those looking for a topline summary of the UK spirits and RTD market. The full UK report is available to purchase here.
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