Alcoholic drinks in Denmark witnessed declining volume sales in 2024, largely due to the rise of mindful drinking, as well as a need to economise amid higher costs of living. More Danes are either cutting down on alcohol consumption, choosing lower strength (ABV) drinks, or are abstaining completely from drinking alcohol as part of healthier lifestyles. This was notably the case among young adults who are more health conscious and focused on wellbeing compared to older generations. The preference for lighter options was reflected in significant disparities across various product areas. Non-alcoholic drinks, flavoured lager, RTDs, rosé wine, and sparkling wine experienced growth, while non-grape wine, brandy, cognac, and cider witnessed decline. Whilst spirits has come under pressure from its high strength, spirit-based RTDs are enjoying strong growth in Denmark, albeit from a small base. Even as Danes cut back on overall alcohol consumption, there was a clear shift towards higher quality and premium drinks, supporting total value growth. Consumers showed a continued interest in speciality and premium beers, including microbrewery alternatives, despite the higher price.
Beer is the largest category in Denmark due to widespread consumption of lager. Given the high per capita consumption of beer in Denmark, this is a mature category with limited prospects to grow penetration. The move away from drinking lager among younger generations of legal drinking age is depressing volume sales of alcoholic drinks. As Danes reduce the quantity of alcohol consumed, they are willing to spend a little more per drink meaning premium, speciality and unique products are becoming sought after. Dark beer with a premium positioning has seen positive development, whilst wine consumers are becoming more interested in wine origin as well as the story behind different wines.
Carlsberg Danmark A/S is the leading player in alcoholic drinks by a wide margin, mainly due to its strong position in beer. The company releases a steady stream of new products and line extensions to maintain its position and has also invested in craft-positioned companies such as Mikkeller in 2024. Carlsberg’s well-known and respected brands are also highly visible at sports and cultural events to maintain high levels of brand awareness. The slight decline in volume share over 2024, was due to volume declines in mid-priced beer, which is the company’s biggest source of revenue.
Modern grocery retailers remained the preferred channels in Denmark, with discounters, hypermarkets, and supermarkets gaining market share in 2024. Despite their limited alcoholic beverage selection, discounters attracted consumers with competitive pricing. Constant offers in this channel has helped to improve its position during challenging economic times. Discounters are able to sell large volumes of alcoholic drinks due to multi-pack and bundle offers. Hypermarkets have retained popularity owing to their extensive offerings and broad availability throughout the country.
Although on-trade sales developed positively after the COVID-19 pandemic, volumes sales in this channel have still not reached pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, on-trade volume sales stalled further, as consumer confidence remained low and Danes cut back on drinking in bars and restaurants. A relatively large share of cider and RTDs are sold via the on-trade. These are less sought-after in the off-trade as many consumers chose to mix their own drinks or drink beer or wine at home. On-trade accounts for a small share of volume sales in wine, partly due to the high prices, as wine is notably more expensive in bars and restaurants compared to the off-trade. For some other drinks such as brewery products the difference between on- and off-trade is less noticeable.
Alcoholic drinks in Denmark will continue to see volume sales decline over the forecast period. Young adults are expected to drink less alcohol and there will be consumers opting to avoid alcohol completely. Danes are heavily focused on health and wellness, and alcohol does not sit well with this trend. Cutbacks in consumption will have a noticeable impact on volume sales.
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Alcoholic Drinks
Alcoholic drinks is the aggregation of beer, wine, spirits, cider/perry and RTDs.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Alcoholic Drinks research and analysis database.
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