Close Menu
News

Rum sales predicted to hit £1bn in the UK

Sales of rum in the UK are on track to exceed £1 billion after Christmas sales are taken into account, according to the latest market report by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Rum sales are predicted to hit £1 billion in the UK

The report states that total sales in the UK up to September 2017 reached £991 million, up 5% on the same period last year, the equivalent of 34.3 million bottles.

In the last five years, sales have increased 18% by volume and 38% by value.

The latest increase in sales attests to the growing appetite in the UK for rum and the increasing number of brands on the market. In 2006, there were around 50 rum brands on the UK market, which has now increased to over 150 in 2016, showing that curiosity in new and different brands is not confined only to gin.

Sales of rum over the summer were attributed in part to a craft cocktail craze.

In the 12 weeks to 9 September 2017, £76 million worth of rum was sold in our shops and supermarkets a rise of 6% compared to the same time last year.

Sales in the UK’s pubs, bars and restaurants saw a 9% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

According to the report, flavoured and spiced rum witnessed strong growth in UK shops and supermarkets, up by 14% in both volume and value sales.

Chief executive of the WSTA, Miles Beale, said: “Rum has packed a punch in terms of sales this year benefiting from the nation’s thirst for craft cocktails. We are pleased to see a rapid growth in the number of distilleries in the UK which has enabled our innovative spirit makers to expand their ranges with many introducing a rum into their portfolio. In turn, this has led to more and more rum bars emerging and established bars stocking a greater range of rums behind the bar.”

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No