Mild Wines and Strong Beers: Retail Groups Report Increased Interest in New Alcoholic Beverage Sales

The sale of mild wines and strong beers in grocery stores has sparked interest among customers, according to reports from the largest retail groups. While K Group reported that sales have exceeded expectations, S Group is still evaluating the popularity of these products. The law change allowing the sale of alcoholic drinks with up to eight percent strength in grocery stores was recently implemented, leading to an increase in sales of these products.

Kesko estimates that the market for alcoholic beverages with less than eight percent alcohol content in Finland is around 15 million euros and predicts significant growth in this market. The S group has noted that white wines and stronger lager beers have been particularly popular in their stores. However, both groups emphasize that it is too early to draw long-term conclusions about the sales trend of these new products.

During a two-week sales period coinciding with Midsummer week, which typically sees an increase in alcohol sales compared to a normal week, both retail groups closely monitored the popularity of mild wines and strong beers to assess their overall impact on their businesses. The S group reported an increase in the popularity of sparkling wines during Midsummer while white wines remained the best-selling category.

Both groups are waiting for more data to analyze location-specific differences and trends in consumer behavior before making any long-term conclusions about the success of these new products. Before the law reform, it was anticipated that smaller stores and those without Alko outlets would benefit from the sale of mild wines in grocery stores. The S group noted that sales volumes of stronger alcohol products were highest in units with higher grocery sales.