Freestar has revealed a staggering 427% year-on-year spike in non-alcoholic beer sales during Dry January.
The non-alcoholic beer brand reportedly quadrupled their year-on-year website sales in the first week of this month, compared to the same period in 2022.
Having recently secured distribution in 300 Tesco stores nationwide, the UK’s largest supermarket is offering an exclusive 40% discount on Freestar’s alcohol-free lager bottles.
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For the entirety of January, Tesco Clubcard members can purchase the beer for just £1, with the retailer usually selling the product at £1.75 – enabling the brand to secure more consumers than ever.
Dry January is a key sales period for the no and low alcohol category, with 1 in 5 adults (19%) reportedly participating in the no drinking month last year.
Amongst these participants, non-alcoholic beer was the drink of choice, with a third (33%) planning to purchase it in January.
Almost nine million people are taking part in the initiative this year, according to charity Alcohol Change UK (founders of the Dry January movement).
Moreover, a survey by YouGov found that more than 15% of Britons intend to follow ‘Dry January’ and abstain from drinking alcohol this month. As a result, more people than ever before are up for the challenge of reducing their alcohol intake for the 31-day period.
“At Freestar, we have created the perfect alcohol-free beers for beer lovers, offering delicious beers that mimic the taste of alcohol with great complexity and texture, and we are delighted to have secured such a significant sales increase during what is a key period for us,” co-founder of Freestar, Felix von Hurter said.
He added: “With increased demand for non-alcoholic beer during Dry January, we hope this sales boost enables us to recruit new drinkers to the category and produce lifetime value to generate repeat purchases in the future.”
The news comes as one in five (21%) of people would opt for non-alcoholic beer as their drink of choice at a social event, new research from Budweiser has found.
