Private label sales outperform branded booze in latest supermarket figures
Supermarket private label wines – particularly sparkling wines – are outperforming brands, db can reveal from exclusive Kantar’s latest data, although the overall drinks market declined as a result of tough comparables.

According to the most recent data from Kantar, the drinks market declined in the 12 weekends to 10 July 22, down 11.6% on last year’s figure to £3.345m, which likely impacted by the fact that pubs were still closed during that period last year.
However, private label is out-performing brands, particularly for sparkling wine, wine and spirits, with overall branded sales down 12.5%, compared to only 9.3% of private label.
Private label sparkling wine performed particularly strongly, falling just 0.1% in the 12 week period to £83,333 compared to the slightly larger branded sparkling subcategory, which well 18.7% to just under £100,000 (£99,443).
This means that overall sales of sparkling wine fell 11.1% in the 12 weeks to 10 July, compared to the same period last year, to £182,775, down from £205,645 in 2021.
Wine’s branded offer also fared less well than private label, but with less of a marked difference, down 10.3% versus 9.9% in the 12 week period. However, the difference was more marked in the four weeks to 10 July 22, with branded down 11.9%, compared to 5.3% in private label, as consumers moved towards branded.
This trend could also be seen in sparkling, with branded sparkling sales falling 24.9% versus 10.8%, and also in spirits, where branded sales were down 11.9% in the latest four weeks, compared to 11.3% in the 12 weeks, while private label were down 5.3% versus 9.3%.
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However, it was beer that saw the largest overall fall – no doubt as a result of tough comparables given that it is being compared to a time when the pubs were still shut – falling 15%. Private label faring worse than branded, a dynamic also seen in cider, with private label cider falling -18% versus -11.3% across the branded category.
Private label RTDs were the only category to rise 8.3% to £20,142, compared to branded falling 17.5%, bringing total rtds falls of 11%, albeit off a smaller base.
The figures come as like-for-like grocery inflation hit 9.9% for the 4 weeks to July 2022.
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