Brits off the booze this Christmas
Brits off the booze this Christmas, but tobacco sales set to soar
Research from digital identity specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that UK tobacco sales are set to beat alcohol sales by an estimated £1.3bn in 2022.
In 2017, UK alcohol sales totalled £20bn and grew steadily to a 2020 peak of £26.8bn – an increase of 34.3%.
Then, in 2021, sales totals dropped by -4.7% to £25.6bn and are now forecast to fall by another -9% by the end of this year, bringing the 2022 total to an estimated £23.3bn.
Meanwhile, 2017 tobacco sales totalled £19.8bn before rising every year to a 2021 peak of £24.2bn – an increase of 22.4%. However, instead of sales declining in the past year as seen with alcohol, tobacco sales are forecast to increase slightly by 1.4% by the end of 2022, bringing the annual total to £24.6bn.
This means that 2022 will see UK tobacco sales outperform alcohol sales by 5.6% or £1.3bn.
The fall in alcohol sales this year comes despite price increases among popular boozy beverages.
The average price of draught lager has increased by 5.9% in the past year, rising from £3.92 per pint in October 2021 to £4.15 in October 2022. In turn, the average price of a draught bitter has increased by 8.3%, rising from £3.27 per pint in 2021 to £3.54 today.
Wine and whiskey, however, have become slightly cheaper. The price for an average glass of wine has fallen by -0.7% while a nip of whiskey is now -1.3% cheaper than last year.
As for tobacco, prices have seen a far more dramatic increase with the average price for a pack of 20 cigarettes soaring by 11.1%.
CEO and Founder of ID Crypt Global, Lauren Wilson-Smith, commented:
“The UK is known for its love of a tipple with alcohol playing a central role in much of our culture and social life. But more and more people, especially the younger generations, are moving away from habitual drinking in exchange for a healthier lifestyle. So, after the inevitable sales peak at the start of the pandemic, most of which was purchased from shops rather than pubs, we shouldn’t be surprised that sales are on the decline.
The tobacco situation, meanwhile, is intriguing. It’s a surprise to find that more is being spent on tobacco than booze, especially given how popular electronic cigarette devices have become in recent years. An 11% price hike is, of course, largely responsible, but most people would still assume that total expenditure has fallen due to cigarettes becoming more and more frowned upon within society. But as it stands, we’re set to spend more on fags in 2022 than any other time in the past five years.
If smoking is set to experience somewhat of a resurgence in the UK, retailers need to double down on their efforts to stringently ID those trying to buy them and the same applies to other nicotine products such as vapes.”
