Wine specialists have survived the growth of the grocers' best, including multiples such as Oddbins and Majestic Warehouses. Ownership changes have been frequent, involving very large pub groups changing hands, with control shifting from traditional brewers' tied estates to pub companies such as Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns. The unlicensed sector has helped non-alcoholic drinks to grow. The alcohol market features a mixture of indigenous and imported drinks with highly variable growth rates, as illustrated in Table 1. There is a gradual decline in beer consumption by volume, especially through the on-trade, but demand has shifted towards premium lagers, drunk in smaller quantities.
Wine is almost all imported and country of origin is the most vital element.
New World wines from California and Australia are firmly established, and growth is coming from South Africa and South America. The spirits market is relatively conservative, with any changes taking place much more gradually than in beer, cider or wine. However, the exception is the pre-mix cocktails segment. The fashion boom was created by the designer white ciders, which then fell victim to the alcopops and pre-mix cocktails. Underlying growth is strong, fuelled by innovation in packaging and flavours, competition in marketing, wide distribution, health-consciousnessness, fast food growth and strong brand images.