Weston’s 2026 Cider Report showed rising costs, from raw materials to taxes and legislation such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), have pushed the average price of a pint of draught cider in pubs up by 32p to £4.79, climbing to £5.46 in London.
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The average pence‑per‑litre price in the on‑trade has also increased 7.3%. In addition, while the value of cider in the on-trade was up 3.1% year-on-year, volume for the category dropped 4%. Rate of sale also saw a 3.6% decline year-on-year.
Economic headwinds
Speaking at the launch of the report at the Orange in London, on Thursday 19 March, Westons head of supply chain and insight Tim Williams said: “Cider is costing more and there is less volume being bought”, adding the impact of ongoing economic headwinds is being passed directly to consumers.
Despite this, there were some bright spots for the segment highlighted in the report.
Premium taps were a major driver for cider last year, gaining 10.8% market share, led largely by draught apple. Fruit cider also saw growth, with a 1.8% increase in category share.
In total, consumers spent £2.04bn on cider in the on-trade last year, up 3.1%, though the average venue sold 27.2 hectolitres, down 3.6%.
Enhance footfall
Competition for bar space also remained a challenge. Some 46.7% of pubs now have just one draught cider line (up 0.6%). Meanwhile, 37.2% have two taps (down 0.8%), and only 16.1% offer three or more (up 0.2%).
Other drinks categories have also squeezed cider’s presence on the bar.
The report stated: “Cider taps are becoming increasingly challenged by competing draught categories, in particular no & low and premium world lager, as retailers look to capture consumer attention and enhance footfall.”
