Total volume sales of alcoholic drinks declined in 2024 but rose in total value terms. Apart from healthy growth in unit prices and premiumisation tendencies in most areas, this discrepancy is largely explained by the fact that the increase in overall demand was stemming entirely from out-of-home consumption, where sales prices are naturally much higher. Generally, a long-term trend towards drinking less alcohol continued, driven by increasing health awareness, especially among younger consumers, and also declining social acceptance of heavy drinking and consuming alcohol in many areas of life. This also helped the demand for lighter and easier to drink categories such as RTDs and cider/perry at the cost of wine and spirits categories. However, the general downward trend was slowed considerably by the increase in on-trade value sales, where there was still a noticeable recovery from changes in consumer behaviour during and as a result of the pandemic.
Beer shaped the development of alcoholic drinks in 2024. Beer is the largest category overall, but it saw a noticeable decline in total volume terms as a result of a significant drop off in off-trade volume terms. However, overall sales still remained above 2019, pre-pandemic levels. Industry experts stated that the performance would have been significantly better without a cold and damp spring in Switzerland. Within beer, non alcoholic beer was again by far the most dynamic category in 2024, taking on an increasingly relevant role for breweries. Non-alcoholic alternatives in other categories, namely in spirits, sparkling wine and still light grape wine, also saw strong development in 2024, albeit at a much lower level. Although these products are attracting interest from curious consumers they have struggled to build up a regular consumer base.
Feldschlösschen Getränke AG remained the leading company within alcoholic drinks overall in 2024 despite seeing a slight decline in its total volume share. The company markets mainly beer brands such as Feldschlösschen, Cardinal and Anker along with the leading Somersby brand in cider/perry. The company continued to diversify its product range, illustrated by the launch of Uszeit Hard Ice Tea in RTDs in spring 2024.
Supermarkets remained the leading distribution channel within alcoholic drinks overall in 2024, with it holding a dominant share in total volume terms. In general, grocery retailing in Switzerland is very much dominated by the supermarkets channel and the number of discounters and particularly hypermarkets is very small in comparison. Consumers appreciate the convenient locations of supermarkets and their wide offer of products, including a broad selection of private label alcoholic drinks.
Falling demand for alcohol drinks was clearly visible in the off-trade channel, but in contrast sales of alcoholic drinks increased in volume terms through the on-trade in 2024. This was in part due to the on-trade channel still on the slow path to recovery, with volume sales still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Other factors behind the growth in on-trade sales in 2024 included improved consumer mood after a difficult year 2023 in Switzerland, which was characterised by elevated inflation and decreased global demand for exports. On-trade sales also benefited from Switzerland seeing an increase in the number of tourists in 2024. These developments shifted the momentum back in favour of the on-trade channel, although it should also be noted that off-trade volume sales remained much higher than on-trade sales as well as remaining above pre-pandemic levels.
Over the forecast period, alcoholic drinks in Switzerland will continue to be characterised by more responsible and mindful drinking behaviour alongside increasing health awareness and declining social acceptance of alcohol and intoxication. Total volume sales of alcoholic drinks are therefore set to fall over the forecast period. However, it should also be noted that in beer, the dominant category in terms of total volume sales, the performance will likely be offset in part by the rising demand for non alcoholic beer.
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Alcoholic Drinks
Alcoholic drinks is the aggregation of beer, wine, spirits, cider/perry and RTDs.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Alcoholic Drinks research and analysis database.
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