From m
other’s ruin to lady’s delight, gin is on the rise and the UK cannot get enough of it. This is big news for the food manufacturing industry as sales are booming and these drinks are providing employment for hundreds of thousands of people.
In this blog, we take a look at just how popular gin has become, what this means for employment, and why so many Brits have taken to the partiality (another name for gin).
What gin sales looked like a decade ago
Way back in 2009, gin was struggling. The UK only spent around £126 million that year and it looked like that number was going to decline. However, gin saw a resurgence in popularity, resulting in £159.4 million in sales the following year. This number has been growing consistently, leading gin to become one of the nation’s favourite drinks once again.
What gin sales look like now
Now, less than 10 years later, gin sales have tripled to £461 million in 2017. But it doesn’t stop there.
According to the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, gin sales have hit £1.5 billion in the 12 months to the end of March. This means that quarterly sales of gin in shops, bars, pubs, and restaurants have risen by 40%.
Why have gin sales risen?
The Wine and Spirits Trade Association believe that the reason for such a boom in popularity is because of “premiumisation”. This change means that Brits don’t mind spending more money on high-quality alcohol. This outlook mixes well with gin’s wide variety of ingredients, local sourcing, and the deep backstory of the drink.
Gin has become very trendy with sales of pink gin up by 1,779%. These stylish options and unique marketing techniques have helped launch gin to spirit stardom over the last few years.
Have any other spirits enjoyed a similar renaissance?
Whisky sales have been rising steadily over the past few years too. Although whisky was more popular to start off with £3.4 billion sales in 2017. However, both of these drinks have been hit by the government’s “spirit tax hike” in 2017, although this doesn’t seem to be slowing down sales too much though.
How many people are employed by the spirits industry?
Over 650,000 people are employed in the production and retailing of alcohol in the UK. 172,000 of that are directly employed within the spirits industry. There are a further 105,000 people employed in the spirits supply chain.
Who are the main players in the gin industry?
Gordon’s is still the world’s biggest selling gin brand, with 4.62 million 9-litre cases sold in 2016. Bombay Sapphire is the second biggest seller with 3.05 million nine-litre cases sold. Most interestingly, upmarket mixer maker, Fever-Tree, has just crossed the £4.5 billion sales threshold. This means that the 13-year old drinks company is worth almost as much as the Royal Mail.
Take the next step in your career with b3
If you’re looking to take the next step in your food manufacturing career, get in touch with the b3 team. We offer candidates the opportunity to showcase their skills to hundreds of potential employers in a variety of industries. Whether your passions lie in food manufacturing, drinks creation, or the food processing industry as a whole, we can help you find that perfect job!
We also help employers fill their vacancies with talent that will benefit your businesses. For more information, call us on 01435 866000.