Sales of alcohol-free beer, cider and wine have soared in Finnish stores this year.
The state alcohol monopoly Alko reported that sales of its zero-percent products have jumped 66 percent in a year, while June figures for this year are more than double what they were for the same month in 2014.
This compares to an increase of just 3 percent last year on the 12 months before that.
In Alko stores, alcohol-free fizz is the summer’s biggest hit. Meanwhile supermarkets report that nonalcoholic beer is their most popular zero-percent product, and have reported brisk sales.
”Sales of alcohol-free beer have grown 40 percent during the last half-year. Meanwhile zero-percent wines and ciders are also showing substantial sales growth, although their overall volumes are still small,” Matti Himberg from Jumbo Citymarket in Vantaa, said.
Both Alko and supermarket retailers say the growth means that alcohol-free products are now being given more shelf space than previously, although even despite the sales growth, zero-percent drinks are still a small part of overall sales.
The change coincides with a long-term drop in the consumption of alcohol in Finland, which could be linked to a growth in the popularity both of healthier lifestyle habits as well as diet fads.
