Data from CGA up to 28 December 2024 showed value sales of Tequila are up 3.2% while in the overall spirits category, value sales have fallen by 4.5% and volume sales are down 10.1% from figures for 2023.
To give those on-trade sales some colour, value sales of Tequila went up from £267.3m in 2023 to £276m by the end of 2024. Meanwhile, Tequila volume sales were 186.5k nine-litres cases (9lc) in 2023, which dropped by 2.8% to 181.2k in 2024. However, this was the smallest drop in all spirit divisions.
The biggest losers in volume sales included gin, vodka and non-cream liqueurs & specialities where losses were 16.7%, 11.1% and 9.6% respectively. This trio saw the largest losses in value sales too for the year comparison with losses of 12.2%, 5.3% and 3.4% in the same order.
Gin, vodka and non-cream liqueurs & specialities are the biggest three divisions with sales falling to 839.8k 9lc for gin, 1.588m 9lc for vodka and 1.158m 9lc for non-cream liqueurs & specialities.
Top of the spirits division is cream liqueurs, which is enjoyed stand-out rises of 241.4k 9lc sales – up 6.9% from 2023 – and £225m in value sales, which is a rise of 12.8% from a year ago.
Rum sales dip but market share rises
Many in the sector believed golden and dark rums were set to forge the way ahead but value sales fell from 664.8k 9lc to 606.4k 9lc – an 8.8% fall – while value sales dipped by 2.0% from £827.3m in 2023 to £810.7m in 2024.
To show the market share of each division and the minimal changes from 2023 to 2024, CGA data showed the biggest category is still vodka (28.6% in 2024, down from 28.9% in 2023), this was followed by non-cream liqueurs & specialities (20.9% in 2024, up from 20.8% in 2023) and gin (15.1% in 2024, down from 16.3% in 2023).
The largest gains in market share were made by cream liqueurs (4.3% in 2024, up from 3.7% in 2023) and second spot was shared by Tequila, golden/dark rums and whisky, which each saw 0.2% percentage lifts to 3.3%, 10.9% and 11.4% market share respectively).
CGA research also discovered where in the on-trade the volume and value sales changes for the Tequila category were taking place.
‘Large venues’ enjoy sales boost
Volume sales have seen the steepest rise in volume sales at ‘large venues’* where 6.366k 9lc were sold in 2023 and reached 7.264k 9lc in 2024 – a 14.1% boost. The setting was also home to the biggest value sales uptick too where sales went from £11.1m in 2023 to £14.1m in 2024 – a 26.6% hike.
Other venue type to see both volume and value lifts were ‘bars’ (volumes up 9.5% and value up 14.8%), ‘community pubs’ (volumes up 5.4% and value up 10.2%) and in ‘hotels’ (volume up 1.8% and value up 4.3%).
Although all other on-trade settings saw falls in volume sales, there were value lifts at in three other types of site. ‘High street pubs’ saw value increase by 2.9%, ‘restaurants’ by 4.6% and 0.3% in ‘food pubs’.
The heaviest hit was ‘nightclubs’ – where well-documented closures no doubt have some bearing – that saw volume losses of 35.4% from 6.486k 9lc in 2023 to 4.192k 9lc in 2024 and value sales dropped by 27.9% from £9.56m in 2023 to £6.89m in 2024).
Other big losers included ‘bar-restaurants’ (17.3% in volume and 12.2% in value) and ‘casual-dining restaurants’ (15.5% in volume and 3.3% in value).
* ‘Large venues’ include licensed bars and restaurants in: holiday, caravan and theme parks, and does not include stand-alone brands or chains; arenas; theatres; bingo halls; cinemas; sports venues such as football and rugby stadiums; and ballrooms.
