While this has dropped slightly on the previous two years (31%), the segment remains the top choice, following by juice drinks (18%), hot (15%), bottled water (8%), non-alcoholic cocktails (6%), non-alcoholic beer and wine (6%) and non-alcoholic spirits (3%), according to Carlsberg Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2025.
The report found while soft drinks volume fell by 5.2% compared to 2023, value was a slightly up against the same period (0.7%).
Moreover, pubs and clubs have gained volume share of soft drinks for the second year in a year - up 0.6 percentage points to 50.2% and 0.2 percentage points to 19.1% respectively.
Alcohol-free events
The research also cited data, which stated one in three trips to the on-trade are alcohol-free events, reflecting the growing number of people moderating their alcohol intake or choosing not to drink it.
Furthermore, it found while overall drinks sales through licensed venues fell by 0.7% to £31.2bn on volumes down 3.4% in 2024, soft drinks sales increased by 0.6% to £4.6bn om volumes down 5.6%, meaning guests spent an additional £300m on soft drinks in licensed venues last year.
The licensed sector made up more than a third (37.9%) of total soft drinks volume sales in 2024.
Redefining nights out
Carlsberg Britvic on-trade sales VP Chris Pratt said: “There’s no denying licensed operators are under a lot of pressure.
“Big nights out are being redefined, they don’t necessarily lead with a focus on alcohol.
“Instead, consumers are increasingly looking for venues that offer the right experiences and they’re prepared to shop around to get it.
“As a result, the competition is fiercer than ever. We’re seeing venue choices widening and the likes of gastropubs and competitive socialising venues - think escape rooms, axe throwing, digital darts and virtual driving simulators - continuing the grow in popularity.”
In the report, Carlsberg Britvic said it had been through its own reinvention and it was not only innovating with flavours but also creating concepts, “which hold an emotional connection with consumers”.
