Heineken has said its draught zero-alcohol beer will be available in 3,000 Irish venues by the end of the year, extending its leading position in the Republic’s non-alcoholic drinks market.
The Dutch multinational drinks company said it has invested some €30 million in its Heineken 0.0 brand since launching here in 2018, building a 48 per cent share of the non-alcoholic market in the Republic over that time, according to data insight company CGA/Nielson.
“When we launched Heineken 0.0 per cent in 2018, we effectively created the modern non-alcoholic beer category in Ireland, offering a top-quality product that consumers wanted to purchase,” said Fiona Curtin, marketing director at Heineken Ireland, which has its headquarters in Cork.
“Six years on, Heineken 0.0 per cent remains the leader in the non-alcohol market, with a 48 per cent total market share and we intend to continue to invest in 0.0 per cent to grow the distribution and reach of the brand in order to offer consumers real choice and to further promote responsible consumption.”
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Alcohol-free beer sales represented about 2 per cent of the total beer market in the Republic last year, according to research from Ibec group Drinks Ireland.
Yet, Ms Curtin said the non-alcoholic beer market here remains “underdeveloped”, compared to other European countries, like Spain, where it represents 14 per cent of total beer sales.
“Even with the stellar growth that has been seen in Ireland, there remains huge scope for significant expansion of the 0.0 sector in the years ahead,” she said.
In a third-quarter trading update in October, Heineken said beer sales volumes in the Republic had increased by a percentage in the “low-teens” in the 12 months to the end of September.
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