According to experts, gin sales had their best growth prior to 2018, and the slowdown finally hit independent convenience stores in May 2019 when year-on-year value growth dropped by more than 10%. The gin range in independent c-stores has never reached the variety seen in bars and supermarkets.

The dominant - Gordon’s – brand that commanded more than 70% of category value share in independent c-stores in 2018 lost its appeal to shoppers and the brand share has declined by 2.9% in 2019. Beefeater (+3.6%), Whitley Neill (+2.6%) increased their market share, and a new category entrant, Koppaberg, took 1.6% of category share in its first year. All this activity wasn’t enough to maintain gin growth rate, which declined to just +3% year-on-year by September 2019.

Gin growth remains strong in Scotland (+40%), East of England (+40%) and Midlands (+31%) but c-store shoppers in London, Northern Ireland, Prosperous Professionals, and Students and Young Professionals communities are switching to rum where year-on-year rum sales growth rate has overtaken that of gin. Overall, however, average rum sales per store are 28% lower than gin, and rum growth rate (+12% year-on-year) is nowhere near that seen by gin. For more sales data information, get in touch with our data team.