Sales of sparkling wine in the UK totalled 45 million bottles for the first time in the run up to Christmas, which in turn led to half a billion pounds worth of excise being paid to the UK Treasury.
According to the WSTA’s latest Market Report, says that 40 million bottles of fizz were sold in British supermarkets and shops in the 12 week period leading up to Christmas, an increase of 12% year-on-year. A further five million bottles were sold in pubs, bars and restaurants, an increase of 37% on the previous year.
Sales are up 54% on the same period five years ago, with around 21 million bottles sold in the same period in 2012.
In total sparkling wine (not including champagne) sold around 995,000 hectolitres – the equivalent of 132 million bottles, over the course of the whole of 2016.
However, the WSTA warned that the devaluation of the pound, potential duty increases, and fears over the impact of Brexit on the UK economy mean that the wine industry could face a more difficult year this year.
“The UK saw the largest ever quarterly sales of sparkling wine at the end of last year but with price rises looming we need government support to ensure that the bubble doesn’t burst when it comes to the British drinkers’ love for fizz,” said Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA.
“Wine is now the nation’s most popular alcoholic drink and it is vital that government backs the British wine trade which generates £17.3 billion in economic activity.”
Beale called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to to cut wine and spirits duty when the Budget is announced on Wednesday “This would benefit our industry, the consumer and boost Treasury coffers - just as it did two years ago,” he said.
UK consumers currently pay on average £2.67 on a bottle of sparkling wine, which is 28% higher than that for still wine. The French pay the equivalent of £0.06 a bottle. Total duty paid on sparkling wine and champagne in the UK has doubled over the past five years, and is up £60 million on last year.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
