Oldies drinking less but spending more

Over 50's are cutting back on booze but opting for stronger, more expensive drinks when they do indulge, according to a new report from market analyst Datamonitor.

In the UK, the seniors' alcoholic drink market in volume terms is set to shrink by almost 20% between 2005 and 2010 to 1.03b litres, but its monetary worth will increase from £14.3b to £16.6b.

Wine, thanks to its perceived health benefits compared with other alcoholic drinks and the appeal of its non-age specific advertising campaigns, will be the only drinks category to enjoy volume growth during the period, according to Datamonitor.

While wine volumes will increase from 407 million litres a year to 415.5 million litres, beer volumes are set to halve from 1,133 million litres to 501.9 million litres a year by 2010.

Consumer markets analyst and author of the report Matthew Adams said: "Seniors are adopting a ‘less but of the best' approach to alcoholic beverages."

By Chris Druce

Get your copy of Caterer and Hotelkeeper every week -