The non/low alcohol trend remained on the rise in alcoholic drinks in Greece in 2024, supported by a widening variety of products. Non alcoholic RTDs have been introduced to Greece and there was an increase in availability of non alcoholic wine, although penetration remained very low. Non/low alcohol beer continued to witness very strong total volume growth and non alcoholic cider, introduced in 2023, performed well quickly. Meanwhile, the penetration of non alcoholic spirits remained very low, with pricing the key factor hindering consumption and growth.
Beer remained the largest category in total volume sales terms in 2024, followed by wine. Their versatility means that they can be consumed on multiple occasions and in different contexts, such as visits to bars or restaurants paired with food, home gatherings, but also solo drinking. Affordability is another reason as both beer and wine are cheaper than spirits and, therefore, affordable to a wider consumer base. Due to lower alcohol contents than spirits, they are also more easily consumed at different times of the day. Beer and wine are also more suitable for the country’s hot climate, which makes drinks with lower alcohol content easier to consume during the day. However, a key challenge for beer is seasonality, as it is mostly consumed during warmer months. That said, climate change trends are favourable to the beer season being prolonged. Wine also benefits from Greece being a wine producing country; hence, there is a strong wine drinking culture with a wide appeal across generations.
The leading players in the main category, beer, Athenian Brewery and Olympic Brewery, led alcoholic drinks in Greece in total volume terms in 2024. Athenian Brewery’s leadership was further supported by its representation of Bacardi & Co’s portfolio in Greece. Apart from the key breweries, Greek Wine Cellars D Kourtakis was among the top five players overall, due to its leadership of wine. Private label claimed a significant share of alcoholic drinks sales, with a strong presence in economy lager, wine and “other” spirits (ie the domestic options ouzo and tsipouro).
Supermarkets led the distribution of alcoholic drinks in off-trade volume sales terms in 2024, largely due to high shares in beer and wine, the largest categories. Food/drink/tobacco specialists followed. While these specialist retailers claimed a relatively low off-trade volume share in beer, they led wine and were key sellers of spirits. Food/drink/tobacco specialists’ penetration was high in off-trade value terms, as the leading distribution channel for premium spirits. These specialist retailers provided the leading channel for premium and economy wine, while their off-trade volume share in the mid-priced segment was low, as consumers mainly purchased these wines from supermarkets. Bag-in-box sold by the litre in PET bottles accounted for the bulk of economy wine sold via food/drink/tobacco specialists.
The on-trade channel led volume and value sales of alcoholic drinks in 2024. However, off-trade outperformed on-trade in growth terms, as heavy strain on disposable incomes saw consumers become more conservative in their spending. This adversely affected their frequency of going out to bars and restaurants. Off-trade volume sales rose due to home consumption and an increase in demand from impulse channels like kiosks and convenience stores for out-of-home instant consumption.
Alcoholic drinks in Greece is projected to see moderate-to-strong total volume and value (constant 2024 prices) growth as the forecast period progresses. RTDs is expected to perform well, with high investment from companies, which is set to contribute to a larger consumer base. Wine is also predicted to see strong growth, supported by an increase in investment, with the promotion of domestic wines. On-trade trends are favourable to wine, with an increase in the number of wine bars anticipated over the forecast period. Tourism flows are also set to boost wine consumption, as Greece is increasingly promoted as a food and drink destination. This will benefit local as well as international wines. Spirits is projected to see positive total volume and value (constant 2024 prices) CAGRs, albeit slower than for alcoholic drinks overall, as trends are more favourable to drinks with lower alcohol content in the context of mindful drinking trends and economic concerns. As disposable incomes are set to remain under pressure, consumers are expected to remain price-sensitive and opt for cheaper drinks like beer and wine. Moreover, low purchasing power will translate to consumers going out to bars less, which will hinder spirits consumption.
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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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