Alongside our daily news coverage, features and interviews, the Just Drinks team rounds up the week’s top stories with a series of data snapshots.
This week Carib-beer owner ANSA McAL made moves to set up a brewing operation in India and Italy-based spirits group Altamura Distilleries revealed plans to export to Australia.
Meanwhile, analysts at GlobalData say functional ingredients like adaptogens could present opportunities for growth in soft drinks.
India set for premiumisation in beer category
India’s beer market is forecast to outpace volume sales, with its 2028 five-year CAGR for value eclipsing volume 12% to 3%.
Worth $13.4bn in 2023, the market is set to balloon to $23.4bn in 2028, selling 33.7m hectolitres of beer.
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By GlobalDataThis week India-based distiller Globus Spirits announced investment in the growing beer category.
Globus Spirits and Caribbean conglomerate ANSA McAL are setting up a beer manufacturing and distribution venture to brew Carib in India.
The venture, Globus ANSA, will “specialise in manufacturing and distributing alcoholic beverages across the Indian subcontinent”.
Its “initial focus” will be Carib, ANSA McAL’s flagship beverage brand.
Australians remain thirsty for vodka
Vodka sales in Australia are set to hit $1.6bn by 2028, with mid-single-digit value and volume CAGR growth, data shows.
The category is expected to see 7.74% CAGR growth in volume terms and 5.62% CAGR growth in value terms in 2028, according to GlobalData.
This week, Italy-based spirits group Altamura Distilleries added Australia to its roster of international markets – launching with vodka.
Altamura co-founder Frank Grillo told Just Drinks Australia was a “key” country in a “high-growth” region.
The distillery's namesake vodka will be distributed by Aperitivo & Co., initially in Sydney and Melbourne. It has an SRP of around A$90 to A$99 ($59 to $65).
“Australia has a vibrant and innovative cocktail scene. We see the opportunity for a vodka like ours with a unique provenance and taste profile to be very successful, especially in the hands of some of the most creative mixologists in the world,” Grillo added.
Stonegate Pub Company’s debt woes continue
UK-based pubs and bars group Stonegate Pub Company this week revealed it may struggle to refinance its £2.2bn ($2.8bn) debt.
The owner of bar chains Slug & Lettuce and Be At One's total debts stood higher than £3bn at the end of its financial year, paying more than £300m in finance costs, including £235m of interest on its loan notes.
A large portion of that debt stems from its acquisition of rival pub business Ei Group in 2019. The deal, which turned Stonegate into Britain’s largest pub operator, valued Ei at £3bn, of which £1.7bn was debt.
David McDowall, chief executive at Stonegate, said: “We have been very clear that we continue to work towards achieving our long-term balance sheet goals, with the successful refinancing of a portion of our estate in December marking a significant strategic step towards this.”
Third of people say grocery choices “always” influenced by health, wellbeing
A third of people say their food and beverage choices are always influenced by how the products impact their health and wellbeing, research reveals.
Only 14% of people say health and wellbeing never or rarely impacts their shopping choices, according to GlobaData’s 2023 Q4 global consumer survey.
This week, GlobalData analysts said functional ingredients would be “crucial” for the growth of the soft-drinks category as inflation crimps spending on products deemed non-essential.
They said post-pandemic health concerns and a longer-term decline in beverage-alcohol consumption could also see the use of adaptogens become “mainstream”.
Products with functional ingredients “can be seen as better value for money” by increasingly price-sensitive consumers, GlobalData said.
“Positioning products with specific functionalities, such as stress-easing or mind-calming, can be particularly appealing,” it added.
US D2C wine sale declines led by cheaper wine
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) wine sales in the US declined in volume in 2023 led by lower-priced wines, while overall value remained flat, analysis shows.
In 2023, wines with an average price per bottle of $100 or above increased their volume of shipments by 5.6% compared to 2022, according to a report by software business Sovos ShipCompliant and media group Wine Business Analytics.
Wines under $30 – which represent an estimated 43.2% of total sales – saw a 12.9% decline in volume in 2023 compared to 2022.
This week, brand-acquisition and -management firm Full Glass Wine Co. announced it had bought wine subscription service D2C Bright Cellars.
Full Glass Wine Co. also owns subscription-based brand Winc and e-retailer Wine Insiders.
The California-based business announced the deal alongside news it had closed a Series A funding round worth $14m.
