Business

UK gin sales break £2bn mark for the first time

Gin sales in the UK surpassed £2 billion last year for the first time
Gin sales in the UK surpassed £2 billion last year for the first time Gin sales in the UK surpassed £2 billion last year for the first time

A "STAGGERING" 73 million bottles of gin were sold in the UK last year, new figures show.

Gin sales broke the £2 billion mark in 2018 for the first time and have almost doubled in the past two years, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) annual market report

Previously unpublished figures show that sales of gin in the first quarter of the last two years peaked in March in the run up to Mothering Sunday, suggesting it is a popular gift for women.

Between January and March 2017, gin sold in UK supermarkets and shops reached 6.4 million bottles, of which 2.6 million (41 per cent) were sold in March, while the same period last year saw 52 per cent sold in March.

The latest figures show that sales of gin over the 12-week Christmas period were up 40 per cent on the same time in 2017.

During the whole of 2018, Britons bought more than 73 million bottles of gin, worth £2.1bn and breaking all previous records.

WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said the latest figures show gin continues to grow in popularity.

"The truly staggering rise in gin sales shows that British gin is gaining more and more fans by the day. And we fully expect to see sales rise again in March this year, just as they did last year.

"It's high time gin's new status and reputation were celebrated and supported by Government, which should be offering more support for British gin exports and a less taxing duty regime, both of which fail to support our entrepreneurial and innovative distillers."

In Northern Ireland there is a growing gin market, with the likes of Shortcross, Jawbox and Copeland all popular tipples of choice.

Last month Copeland Spirits received planning approval for a new £600,000 distillery in Donaghadee.

The 6,500 sq ft distillery and visitor centre at the former community centre and picture-house on Manor Street will allow the company to develop its existing gin range and move into new markets, including whiskey, as part of a 125-year lease.